Flame and Smoke
by 8Silver-Storm8
Summary: My name is Smokepaw, and I am a medicine cat apprentice. I wasn't supposed to be, though, or at least I prefer to belive that. Had I not snuck out as a kit, I wouldn't be like this. I like to think I would be the greatest warrior in the forest if I wasn't the way that I am. I never should've snuck out. I never should've let that dog get near me. (Hiatus until I get more inspired)
1. Chapter 1

My name is Smokepaw, and I am a medicine cat apprentice. I wasn't supposed to be, though, or at least I prefer to belive that. Had I not snuck out as a kit, I wouldn't be like this. I could've been a warrior. I should've been a warrior. I like to think I would be the greatest warrior in the forest if I wasn't the way that I am. I never should've snuck out. I never should've let that dog get near me.

* * *

"Wake up, Smokekit!" A kit hissed quietly at another, shattering the silence that held the night in its beauty. One, a big smokey gray kit, lay sleeping beneath a fluffy white she-kit with intense, icy-blue eyes. The smokey kit opened his leaf-green eyes. "Come on! It'll be moonhigh in a few minutes." She whispered. They rose.

The two kittens slid quietly out of the nursery into the StreamClan camp. "Are you sure about this, Swiftkit? What if Shellstar finds out? Our apprentice cerimonies will surely be held back! Or what if we run into a hawk? Or a badger, or a dog, or a twoleg, or a fox!" The gray-and-black smokey kit hissed.

"You worry to much! Apprenticeship is only a moon away, and there's no way Shellstar would ever find out. Unless someone decides to snitch." She fixed him with an intense glare. "You won't, right?" She hissed, her eyes narrowed and words dripping with a thinly-veiled challenge. Without thinking, he shook his head. "Of course not. Let's go."

The two padded over to the dirtplace, where a hidden tunnel under a pile of rocks was located. They slid in and scrabbled into the tunnel without hesitating. Smokekit paused for a second as his sister squeezed in from behind him, wondering if they should turn back now.

"I don't know about this. Something bad might happen." The smokey kit said uneasily. "Come on, scaredy-mouse! Nothing will go wrong. We're going to be completely fine! We'll be back before dawn and not a single cat will even notice we were missing. Now let's go, this tunnel is way too dusty!" Swiftkit hissed and began to walk out of the pitch black cavern.

Taking a single glance back at the entrance to the tunnel, he followed his sister, scrabbling up rocks to get out of the path that was almost straight upwards.

Swiftkit helped Smokekit up out of the hole. They were out of camp for the first time. "It's too dark to see anything!" Whispered the tomkit as he nearly fell into another dip in the earth.

As the two set out into the territory, ears pricked, eyes alert, tails raised, and whiskers outstretched, Smokekit realised there was no turning back.

After a few hours of walking around StreamClan territory, making sure to avoid the stenches of BirchClan and RainClan, their paws grew heavy, and they were ready to turn back. "We have a bit of time before the dawn patrol comes back to make our way to camp." Swiftkit observed, studying the slowly graying sky.

"W-which way is camp?" Smokekit asked, realization dawning on his face. "I thought you were keeping track! Wait! W-what's that s-smell?" The white kit hissed as a rotten stench hit them in the face, fear adding a worrisome edge to her voice.

"Come on, l-let's get out of here." Smokekit said, taking a step forward. "Y-yeah, lets go." Swiftkit replied, padding a few tail-lengths ahead of him.

They suddenly froze as a deep, menacing growl sounded from behind them. They turned thier heads back slowly to see a horrifying picture.

A massive canine, black-and-brown with a narrowed muzzle and pointed ears. Its round brown eyes were fixated intensely on the kits and its lips were drawn back in a terrifing snarl, revealing sharp yellow teeth that Smokekit could almost imagine stained crimson. Blood was dripping from its nose, and the beast appeared to have ran into a tree.

With a fierce bark it sprang forward. The kittens pelted away as fast as their small legs could carry them, but with the dog bounding forward on its massive paws, there seemed to be no escape for both kits.

A shriek tore through the air as blood sprayed from the tomkit's hind leg. The dog had plunged its teeth through the soft flesh. Pain shot up Smokekit's leg. A snap rang out as it sank its teeth deeper. Smokekit wailed in pain as he was jerked backwards. Swiftkit watched in horror as she heard a loud "RUN!" escape his lips before he was tossed like a dead rabbit to the side.

The last thing he saw was his sister's fluffy white tail dissapear into the forest before his skull smacked into the trunk of a willow tree and everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Smokekit was alone. He couldn't tell where he was, but he wasn't anywhere im StreamClan territory. He looked around to find himslef in a clearing surrounded by trees that seemed to scrape against StarClan themselves.

The young kit felt... different. He could detect a scrap of moss falling tree-lengths away just with his paw pads and his energy seemed so endless that he felt he could bat the moon from the sky like a falling leaf. And yet he also felt nearly numb, distant from his own body but still not anywhere outside of it. His gaze flickered from side to side.

He stepped forward uneasily, feeling a mixture of being off-balance and nimble. Where the dog had ripped and torn his hind leg was painless. His tail swayed from side to side. Where was he? Swiftkit and he had never seen this territory when they left.

Swiftkit! Where was she? He remembered watching her tail whisking off into the forest that was being filled with dawn light before being thrown against the willow tree. Had the dog followed her? Did it track her scent and attack her in the forest before she could escape to camp? The thought made him feel very sick.

It was dawn when he had been attacked. Shouldn't the dawn patrol have found him? He looked around. This place showed no clear time. There was enough light to hunt and play, but not enough to keep a cat awake. The clearing seemed to be free from the boundaries that time secured all cats into.

"H-hello?" He called. He took a step back, feeling overwhelmed and chilled by this strange territory. He layed town, tucking his nose under his paws, and whimpered.

Swiftkit was nowhere to be seen. He wasn't in his camp, or even in his territory. No cats had come to help him. He was lost, alone, and afraid.

A strange prescence wrapped itself around him. He opened his leafy green eyes to see a blue she-cat curled around his body. He flattened his ears and jumped up, hissing. He had never seen this cat before. She smelled slightly of StreamClan, but her scent was almost completely masked in the smell of this strange place. "Who are you?" His voice came out as a squeak.

"Awaken, young one." Purred the she-cat. Smokekit's eyes widened in shock as the beautiful clearing began to shatter around him. "Wait! Where am I? Who are you?" He shrieked. "This is your destiny." The blue she-cat replied simply as the ground fell away from under his paws and he was plunged into total darkness.

* * *

Smokekit cracked open his eyes. He was once again in a foreign territory. His eyes adjested to the dimly lit den that smelled sharpy of herbs.

"You're awake!" Purred a silver tabby tomcat who was bent over him. "That's quite the injury you have there."

Smokekit frowned. "Where am I?" He curled his bushy tail over his ruined leg that still felt like the dog was biting it. "Well, BirchClan camp! A couple of warriors found you near the border. It looked like something had torn your leg apart and tossed you over the scent line. I'm Featherpaw, the medicine cat apprentice. Cherryfeather's out getting more cobwebs for your leg."

"When can I go home?" He whimpered. "We've already sent a group of warriors to tell your leader where you are, but you wont be able to travel on your leg for at least a moon. A couple of warriors are going to carry you back once we get your splint in place."

"Splint? I've broken my leg, havent I? I told Swiftkit we shouldn't have snuck out! How am I going to be the greatest warrior in the forest with a broken leg?" He cried. Featherpaw cast him a gentle glance that was dripping with sympathy. Smokekit inwardly hissed. What was this cat not telling him?

He tried to stand up. Pain shot up his leg and he collapsed back into the nest. "Woah! Don't try to get up yet! You haven't even said your name. I need to call you something until the warriors come back to bring you home." Smokekit looked up. "My name's Smokekit."

"Featherpaw? Are you in here?" A voice called from the entrance of the den.

"Yeah, come on in!" He replied as two she-cats padded into the shadows.. One was a fluffy silver tabby and the other was lithe and black with a darker streak down her back. "Hello, kit." Purred the darker of the two.

"Smokekit, these are my sisters, Riverpaw and Duskpaw. This is Smokekit, guys." He introduced. "Hi, Smokekit." Said Riverpaw.

"Hi." He replied quietly. "We brought you two some prey, and some for Cherryfeather when she gets back." Duskpaw announced, dropping a mouse and a finch at thier paws.

"Thanks!" Purred Featherpaw. "Smokekit, you can have your pickings of the finch and I'll eat whatever you leave."

Smokekit nodded his thanks and sank his teeth into the finch that was still warm. "We should get back to our mentors. Bye Featherpaw! Bye Smokekit!" Riverpaw said as the two she-cats exited the den.

"While you're eating, take this poppy seed. It should dull whatever pain you have in your leg." Featherpaw instructed. "I'm back!" Called another voice from the entrance of the den. A pretty cream she-cat padded into the dimly-lit medicine den with a clump of cobwebs around her paw.

"Hold your leg out and keep still." Cherryfeather ordered. Smokekit obeyed, watching as Featherpaw receded into the shadows of the den to sort herbs. She worked swiftly, coating his leg in cobwebs.

"Featherpaw, do you remember everything we need to mend a broken leg?" Asked Cherryfeather. Featherpaw paused in thought. "Sticks, bindweed, rush, and moss to make the splint. Broom, burdock root, stinging nettles, and comfrey to mend the skin and bone, and oak leaves for preventing infection."

"Very good!" Purred Cherryfeather as she applied a poultice to the kit's leg. "Make a bundle of some bindweed, rush, broom, burdock, nettles, and comfrey to give to StreamClan when we deliver thier kit to them." Smokekit twitched his tail-tip at the word deliver.

He would've flinched as the she-cat set the splint in place if he hadn't eaten the poppy seed. The pain in his leg had been greatly dulled. He looked around the dimly let den. The sharp scent of herbs clung to Cherryfeather and Featherpaw's pelts. Smokekit tried not to wrinkle his nose.

"Hey, Smokekit, the patrol should be back soon. You'll be home before you know it." Featherpaw purred, whiskers twitching. Smokekit looked away. Could the apprentice read him that easily?

"Home, but not healed." Cherryfeather hissed. "You snuck out of camp, didn't you? Don't StreamClan kits know how to follow the rules?"

Smokekit flattened his ears defiantly, inwardly flinching at the she-cat's sudden change in attitude towards him. He lashed his tail.

"Patrol's here," Featherpaw announced. He picked up the fat bundle of herbs he'd been preparing.

"You're sure he's fit to travel?" A gray she-cat with one white paw and ear asked from the entrance of the den. "The splint is in place. You should be able to carry him."

A white tomcat padded over to the kit. The cat plunged his teeth into Smokekit's scruff and lifted him up.

The tomkit nearly hissed as his leg clunked about awkwardly as he was dragged out of the nest. "Be careful! He's only a kit!" The gray she-cat from before almost shrieked. The tomcat rolled his eyes, but obeyed.

He was carried from the den out into the bright clearing. He squinted his eyes to get a better look around, but was quickly movied into a dirt tunnel by the tomcat. His eyelids were growing heavy after eating the poppy seed, and before he could say anything to the cats on the patrol, he was asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Smokekit was in the strange clearing again. He lashed his bushy, smoke-coloured tail back and fourth. There was a stiffness in his shoulders and his small jaw was locked tightly in an irritable expression. "I won't wait for you this time! If you won't answer me, I'll come and find you myself!" He took a step forward, trying his best to ignore the strange feeling in his paws whenever he moved. The kit began to walk into the forest surrounding the clearing, curious, but also afraid, no matter how much he refused to show it.

Growing more irritated at the seeming absence of cats, he began to jog at a slow pace through the trees, his gaze flicking quickly from side to side in search of any other life. He payed no notice to the ferns and leave that whipped at his face and pulled tufts of fur from his smokey pelt. "I know you're there!" He called, louder this time.

Smokekit had not a clue where he was going, or even how he planned to get back, but as his frustration grew he raced faster into the mass of trees, not considering stopping for one second.

Soon he spotted an obsticle he didn't dare attempt to cross. He skidded to a halt by the sandy bank of a river. He wouldn't be made to learn to swim until he was an apprentice. He padded over to the rushing stream and gazed at his bleary reflection that was sliced through with jets of water that darted over the pebbles beneath them.

He growled aloud as a gray-blue shape appeared beside his. He turned to the side to see the she-cat from before. "What do you want?" He shrieked, drawing up to his full hight, though it was less than half then that of the she-cat's. She blinked calmly. "Your destiny approches, young one."

Smokekit puffed out his pelt and narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

The blue cat blinked, sympathy shining in her sapphire eyes as she crouched down to be level with him. "Who are you?" He asked, meeting her intense gaze evenly.

Only when the cat waved her tail calmly did he notice that everything around him had dissapeared and that he was alone with this stranger in the pitch darkness. The blue cat leaned forward and touched her nose to his forehead and was gone.

* * *

Smokekit awoke with a start. He had slept away the affects of the poppy seed and his leg was shrieking at him in pain again. The kit lifted his smoke-colored head to recognise the StreamClan medicine den. Home!

He nearly leapt up with joy before remembering the warning jab his leg had given him last time he had attempted to stand. "You're awake!" Said a voice from the corner of the den. Smokekit glanced up to see the medicine cat, Tangleflower, sorting herbs across the space. He remembered her mother, an elder named Sandytail, telling him stories of how StreamClan came to be.

He remembered fondly of the elders telling him of how many seasons ago, before the oldest cat in all the clans was even thought of, twolegs had made the StreamClan camp from stone blocks. The twolegs lived there for seasons, but they soon discovered new places and abandoned thier home, leaving it to the beauty of the forest. Then, ancient cats, thier warrior ancestors, came into the den and decided to make it thier home.

Over time ivy began to creep through the cracks in the walls and moss pooled across the ground. The wood and slab floors grew to be worn down with the pawprints of hundreds of cats as ferns sprung up, herbs and flowers scattering across the camp. Twisted and gnarled tree branches broke through the stone and allowed light to seep into the great space.

The nursery was in the back of camp, shielded by ferns and brambles that had overgrown as time had passed slowly by. Across was the elder's den, inside of a small room with bindweed and coltsfoot sprouting from the earth. There was a family of doves directly outside of it, thier feathers sometimes blowing into the den from outside the odd hole in the wall called a window.

Next to it was a massive dip in the ground with brambles stretching over it and tightly-woven ferns blocking it from any outside cats. The warriors den, the biggest den in camp.

Next to the warriors den was the apprentices den. Thier den was in a room similar to the elder's, but larger and not nearly as comfortable.

Directly across from it was the medicine den. It was outside in a twoleg garden. The garden had a clear roof and walls. It was a truly beautiful den. But as Smokekit looked over at Tangleflower he felt suddenly frustrated, his body begging him to stay laying in the feather-and-moss nest but his mind focused on crumpling the bedding together and batting it across the den for a game of moss-ball.

"The whole clan was so worried about you! When Swiftkit told the dawn patrol what happened, she was hysterical! Oh, I'll have to go tell your mother! I'll be right back!" Before Smokekit could object, the sandy tabby she-cat had swiftly moved on from the den. He didn't want to talk to anyone. If Iceclaw spoke to him, Jayfall and Swiftkit would want to speak as well. He would be fine with Jayfall, but Smokekit didn't want to hear anything from Swiftkit.

He lashed his tail. Shellstar would definately hold back thier apprentice cerimonies now! In his mind, it was entirely Swiftkit's fault. He felt dejected at the thought, resting his head on his paws and wishing a hole would open up in the ground beneath him so he wouldnt have to face anyone.

The entrance rustled and a white she-cat with green eyes came bursting into the den. "Iceclaw!" He purred, faking a smile. The queen darted over to him. "Smokekit!" She cried, nuzzling him.

"Thank StarClan you're alright!" She began to cover him in swift, quick licks. "I'll be bringing some herbs to the elders. Featherpaw, make sure nothing happens while I'm gone." Tangleflower said as she padded out. "Alright." Said a voice Smokekit had heard before.

He pricked his ears and noticed Featherpaw sitting off in a corner, scent masked in herbs. "I'm staying for a little while to help." He explained before turning back to his work.

"Now Smokekit, you knew better than to sneak out of camp! I'm very disappointed in you and your sister. I never would have expected you, of all kits, to leave!" She was bristling now, but her words were thick with emotion the kit couldnt put a word to. Grief? Symapthy? It seemed as if there was something she needed to tell him, but was reluctant to.

"You're lucky that dog didn't go for your throat! You could have been killed, Smokekit! We could've lost you..." She trailed off, her eyes glistening. He felt guilt flush through his pelt, ears burning with shame. "I'm sorry!" Smokekit whimpered, his voice growing very small.

"I know you are, Smokekit." She laid her fluffy tail over his shoulders. The entrance to the den rustled again. A silvery gray tomcat with blue eyes pushed into the den, tail flicking and eyes darting wildly from size to side. After a few heartbeats, his gaze rested on Smokekit.

"Jayfall!" Smokekit smiled joyfully. The tom padded over briskly, and as he approached the kit noticed an emotion he had never seen in his father's eyes shining brightly in his blue orbs. Worry.

Anxiousness radiated off of his pelt in waves. "Have you told him yet?" Jayfall whispered to Iceclaw. She shook her head. "Told me what?" Smokekit asked, concern adding a hard edge to his voice.

Iceclaw bent over to be level with him, Jayfall quickly following suit. In the background, Featherpaw turned, ears flattened. "Well... Smokekit, what do you want to be when you get older?" Asked the she-cat. "A warrior, obviously!" Replied the smokey gray kit, tail twitching.

"What about a different path?" Said Jayfall, his words careful, as if he had put immense thought into every word. "What do you mean, a different path? I'm going to be the greatest warrior in the forest!"

Featherpaw gazed over, poorly-covered sympathy dripping from every feature, though he said nothing. "Are you sure? You could retire to the elder's den early, or be a medicine cat, or help care for the kits in the nursery..." Iceclaw offered. "What? No!" Cried Smokekit. "What're you saying?" He focused his narrowed eyes on his parents as they cast broken-hearted glances at each other.

Jayfall streched his muzzle out and gave Smokekit a few quick licks. "We're saying... Well, with your leg..." The tom trailed off, his gaze turning off to the side.

"What?" The tomkit said, kneading the moss in front of him with his paws.

"Smokekit... You can't become a warrior."

Smokekit was silent, staring blankly at the two cats. "...Huh?"

He felt numb. No! There was no way he couldn't be a warrior! He'd find a way! He'd work around his injury. This was all just a dream, or a joke. The kit hoped with all his might that he'd wake up, happy and content in the nursery, or that Featherpaw would yowl "Just kidding!" From across the den.

"What do you mean?" His voice cracked halfway through the sentence. "We're so sorry, Smokekit. The dog ripped a tendon in your leg. You won't be able to walk on it, and..." Iceclaw trailed off.

Smokekit wanted to wail, to shriek that it wasn't fair, that he would be a warrior anyway, no matter what his clan thought. His voice faltered, his jaws parted in a cry but no sound escaping his throat.

Featherpaw padded over. The apprentice attemped to give him a comforting lick on his shoulder. "No!" Smokekit cried. The silver tomcat flinched. "I'm gonna be a warrior! I can work without using my leg! You'll see! I can be a warrior. I'm gonna be a warrior! I'll... I'll..." He realised his words were transforming into the pitiful wails like that of a newborn kit. Smokekit buried his nose in the moss and feathers of the nest he was in. "I'm gonna be a warrior, I'm gonna be a warrior, I'm..."

"Smokekit... you'll always be my little warrior." He heard his mother say.

After a few minutes of his parents grooming him, Smokekit fell asleep, and was undisturbed by dreams at last.


	4. Chapter 4

**I just want to say thanks to Night Feather Falling and sjohnson14 for leaving reviews on the story! Every review encourages me to write more, so thank you for the feedback!**

Smokekit cracked open his leaf-green eyes. He was, once again, awoken by the bustle of his clanmates just out of the den. He imagined the scence. Shellstar sharing tounges with Wildfern by the FallenStone, the dawn patrol heading out of camp. Apprentices giving themselves swift groomings before leaving to begin thier training. A queen, stretching out from the entrence of the nursery.

He could almost see his father leading a border patrol. Swiftkit playing with Russetkit and Robinkit outside of their den. Iceclaw watching them, happiness gimmering in her eyes. It had been half of a moon since he had snuck out of camp, and he was growing tired of laying in the herb-scented den all day, batting moss back and fourth between his front paws, never daring to stand.

Of course, there was company in Tangleflower. She came to him every few hours with news of the clan. Some was good, some was bad.

He had eventually grown fond of the sandy medicine cat. He recieved visitors, but the only cats who came to see him consistently were Iceclaw, Jayfall, Tangleflower, and Swiftkit.

He looked over at the sandy-and-brown tabby, who was stretching out in her nest. Over the half moon he had snapped at the others when they visisted him, not wanting to speak to the cats that doubted him. At least Tangleflower always listened to the kit and never showered him in pity like the others did.

Smokekit felt a small pang of guilt, remembering Swiftkit's broken-hearted expression when he had ignored her. He quickly pushed it away. _This is all her fault! Why should I have to feel guilty when it's because of her I can't become a warrior?_

A frustrated growl escaped his lips as he realised that he had been shreddding up the mossy nest in front of him. The entrance to the den rustled and Swiftkit padded in. Smokekit turned his head away, taking no notice of the hurt expression that stuck to her face whenever she saw him.

She dropped the minnows she had been carrying. "I brought you and Smokekit some food." She offered to Tangleflower. "Thank you, Swiftkit." Replied the medicine cat. Swiftkit backed out of the den, her tail low.

"You aren't going to thank her?" Asked Tangleflower gently, carrying the fresh-kill over. "Why should I?" He hissed, tail flicking. "Well, she's been so kind as to bring you prey and come to visit you." She responded as he sunk his teeth into a minnow. "She was also so kind as to ruin my life." He spat.

"Have you decided what you're going to do yet?" She placed her words carefully as she shared the prey. "No." Smokekit replied simply. "You know, being a medicine cat isn't all that bad." Tangleflower laid her tail over his shoulders. "You'd get to help your entire clan, and you would have a connection with StarClan that no other cat could imagine."

Smokekit paused. He tried to think of being her apprentice. Working quietly and learning how to treat disease and injury. He would earn the respect of his clan. He'd get to spend more time with the sandy tabby he had grown to know as a friend. "I don't know."

"Think about it like this: being a medicine cat is like being a warrior, but you fight against invisible enemies that can be deadlier than any enemy clan." Tangleflower offered. Smokekit looked at her thoughtfully. "Anyway, you'll be walking soon. Actually, if you really wanted to, we could start working on it today." Her words jerked him from his thoughts. "Really?" He flicked his tail joyfully.

"Of course! It won't be too much, maybe a few fox lengths, but we can start at Sunhigh. You still have another half moon until your leg isn't considered broken anymore, but it should be well enough to start working on walking." Tangleflower purred at his ecstatic expression.

Sunhigh seemed moons away. His tail twitched impatiently while Tangleflower sorted herbs. He looked up at the sky through the clear roof of the den every few minutes. When sunhigh finally came, he felt like he had been waiting for seasons.

He pushed his weight onto his front paws and held himself up. Pulling his working leg forward into a standing position, he watched as his ravaged leg thumped uselessly to the side, and yet he felt nothing. The dog truly had destroyed his leg.

Smokekit wobbled from side to side, off-balanced by the abscene of feeling in his leg. Tangleflower rested her tail on his shoulders and he leaned against her. "You can do it!" She encouraged him like a queen helping a kit take thier first steps.

His front paws were easy, but he was shaky on his back legs. He managed to make it out of the nest. "Let's go to the edge of the den." He said, voice hardened with determination. The medicine cat looked at him skeptically but said nothing. He padded forward cautiously, leaning against her every step of the way.

He gazed at Tangleflower, eyes shining with pride, as they reached the halfway point in the den. She purred as Smokekit took another tentative step forward. She went forwards with him until they reached the edge of the den.

"Alright. See if you can make it back on your own." His eyes widened in shock, but he swallowed his fear and stepped forward. He took a few uneven paces before tripping, his nose in the dirt. Tangleflower pulled him up by his scruff. Smokekit took slower steps until he collapsed into his nest.

"Amazing job, Smokekit!" She congratulated him. The kit's eyes shone with pride. She gave him a lick on his shoulder. At that moment, a large silvery gray tomcat pushed into the den. "Jayfall! You'll never guess what Tangleflower just helped me do!" He cried as his father walked over.

"We walked all the way to the other side of the den and all the way back!" Jayfall let out a deep, rumbling purr and nuzzled the kit. "That's great, Smokekit!" He turned over to the sandy tabby. "Thank you."

Swiftkit and Iceclaw came in, too, and they all talked the day away. The den was slowly darkening as the two cats led out Swiftkit and headed to thier respective dens. Tangleflower was curling up in her nest.

"Hey, Tangleflower?"

"Yes, Smokekit?"

"I think I want to be a medicine cat apprentice."


	5. Chapter 5

**Another thanks to Pebble That Shines for the review!**

Smokekit stretched out in his nest. Swiftkit had come to bring he and Tangleflower fresh-kill, as she did every morning. "Hey, Swiftkit!" He purred.

"Morning." She responded, dropping a carp. "You could share with us if you'd like, Swiftkit." Offered Tangleflower. Swiftkit dipped her head and they ate in silence.

Smokekit looked from side to side as he chewed on the fish. He suddenly realized how alien the medicine den would look to any other cat. Most of the dens in camp were enclosed in stone or bramble walls. Seeing this entirely clear room with herbs sprouting up freely would be strange to a warrior.

And yet Smokekit did feel strangely at home here. While most cats recoiled at the sharp scent of herbs that clung to the den and thier pelts, the smoke-colored kit gladly welcomed it.

After they had finished eating and Swiftkit had left, Smokekit remembered that it had been a full moon since he had come to this den for the first time, and a half moon since he had started to practice walking. He felt a burst of pride at the thought.

"Just think, Smokekit," Tangleflower's words pulled him back into reality. "In another quarter moon, you'll be a medicine cat apprentice."

Smokekit let out a purr. "Can I start walking early today?"

Tangleflower looked over at him. "Sure. One lap around the den."

The kit wasn't suprised she demanded so much. The sandy tabby had great expectations for him, and her decisons were never watered-down with pity. He lifted himself up from the nest, swinging his mangled leg up into a standing position.

His nest was in the back left corner of the den, next to three others. Tangleflower's nest was on the mid-left side. He took a few wobbly steps forward.

The kit had soon reached the other side of the medicine den. He felt Tangleflower's gaze going straight through him. Smokekit started up walking again. He almost tripped over his ruined leg, but caught himslef before he hit the ground.

He found a new confidence, stumbling over to the other side quicker than before. He did't stop once he reached the corner, continuing to hobble over. He passed Tangleflower and reached another edge. Smokekit sucked in a deep breath and limped over to his nest, which he promptly collapsed into.

He beamed with pride as Tangleflower gave him an approving purr. "Alright, Smokekit. Would you mind carrying these herbs over to the elder's den for me?"

Smokekit gaped at her. "What?"

"You heard me. I'll come with you. Get up." Her voice was stern but patient. He clambered into a standing position awkwardly and picked up a herb bundle.

He pushed out of the den, Tangleflower beside him. He felt his pelt flush red as the cats sitting in the main clearing stared at him every step of the way. His mother stopped grooming herself, her tounge still poking out, and gazed at him.

He hobbled across the clearing to the den. He noticed Shellstar's eyes fixated onto him from his den beneath the FallenStone. Smokekit gave no notice to them, padding into the elders den with Tangleflower at his side.

Sandytail, Rushwing, and Lilysong sat in the warm den. "Smokekit?" Sandytail gasped. "Tangleflower told me you were walking, but..."

"It's his first time out of the den in a moon." The sandy cat purred, the slightest hint of pride in her voice.

"Well, youngster-" Rushwing was abrubtly cut off as Swiftkit, Jayfall, and Iceclaw burst into the den. The red tomcat broke off in a fit of laughter as Iceclaw fussed over Smokekit's leg, Jayfall gazed at him, intense joy radiating off of his pelt in waves, and Swiftkit exitedly bounced around the den.

"You walked all the way across camp!" Gasped Iceclaw, covering him in frantic licks. He allowed a purr of pride to escape his lips.

"I told you he could do it!" Swiftkit announced to no one in particular. Jayfall said nothing, but his eyes were glimmering. Smokekit felt as if he was going to burst with pride in himself.

In the corner of his vision, he spotted Tangleflower helping the elders with thier joint pain using the herbs he had carried over.

After a few minutes, he walked with his family back to the medicine den, and as he looked around at his mother, father, sister, and future mentor, he felt truly content.


	6. Chapter 6

**Briardust: Thanks so much!** **These** **reviews really help me to keep writing. I don't turn on PM's too much, because whenever I do I get people asking me to join random clans. The medicine den would be an overgrown twoleg greenhouse that was connected to the main home.**

 **Pebble That Shines: When I created Smokekit I tried to set him apart from other medicine cats. For example, unlike Cinderpelt, he was destined to be a medicine cat. I decided he would gladly accept the role after reaching a close bond with Tangleflower to set him apart from Jayfeather, who never wanted the role in the first place. (Is that how it went? I havent read the books in a while.)**

"Let all cats old enough the swim the Fern River gather beneath the FallenStone for a clan meeting!" A yowl sounded loudly from StreamClan camp. Smokekit pricked his tufted ears as his mother suddenly stopped rasping her tounge over his pelt. "Alright. Its time for you to go meet your mentors." Smokekit twitced an ear. He already _had_ met his mentor, and she had been a great friend in the past moon. "Be good, walk out like you know what you're doing."

"We will!" Swiftkit said, bounding off as cats began to emerge from thier dens. Smokekit gave his mother a quick lick on the shoulder before hobbling off after his sister.

"The time has come to do one of my favorite cerimonies as leader. Today, two new apprentices will be made." Shellstar, a lithe cream-colored tomcat announced, his gaze sweeping the croud before finally coming to a rest on two kits. Smokekit purposely moved his thick, bushy tail over his shredded leg.

"Swiftkit, step forward." He watched as the white kit smoothed her fur and padded out into the center of the circle of cats. "Swiftkit, you have reached the age of six moons-"

Smokekit tried not to let his fur bristle. They were no longer six moons old. That day had passed one half-moon ago. "-And it it time for you to become an apprentice. From this day on, until you recieve your warrior name, you will be known as Swiftpaw. Your mentor will be Oaktail. I hope Oaktail will pass down all he knows to you."

Smokekit had heard of Oaktail. He was stern and not easily impressed. The kit watched as a stocky, dark brown tomcat with thick fur and a stumpy tail walked out into the clearing. Shellstar turned to him. "Oaktail, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You recieved exellent training from Lilysong, and have shown yourself to be brave and strong. You will be the mentor to Swiftpaw, and I hope you will pass down all you know to her."

Swiftpaw touched noses to her new mentor and receded into the circle. Now he watched as a sandy she-cat with brown tabby stripes padded out into the clearing. A burst of joy overtook him and he sat up straighter. "Cats of StreamClan, as you know, I will not be around forever. So it's time I took an apprentice. I have chosen a cat who has shown bravery, persistance, and hope. Your next medicine cat will be Smokepaw."

Smokepaw stepped into the center of the ring. "Smokepaw, do you accept the post of apprentice to Tangleflower?"

The apprentice dipped his head. "I do."

"Then at the half moon, you must travel to the Moonstone to be accepted by StarClan before the other medicine cats." Her voice echoed throughout the clearing. "The good wishes of all of StreamClan go with you. Clan meeting dismissed!" Cried Shellstar, padding away as the groups of cats moved back into thier lives.

Smokepaw looked back and fourth, torn between going to see his parents and talking to his mentor. "Go see them." Said Tangleflower. He nodded his thanks and walked over.

He sat next to his sister and in between Jayfall and Iceclaw. They lapped at thier kits ears, purring so loudly the new apprentices were shocked they didn't shake the ground beneath thier paws. "We're so proud." Jayfall meowed.

"You two better try your very hardest, alright? Respect your mentors and do everything they say. Be safe. Oh, and pay attention. Don't stress yourselves out, though! Make sure that you-" Iceclaw was cut off by Oaktail's call. "Good luck!" Jayfall cried as the siblings padded away.

Smokepaw tottered over to Tangleflower, a flame of joy dancing in his green eyes. "Your walking is coming along very well." She said as they walked into the medicine den.

"When's the next half moon? When can we explore the territory? What's the Moonstone like?" He pelted the medicine cat with questions he had been bottling up over the time he had been in her den. "The next half moon in in two sunrises. We can explore the territory tomorrow if your leg agrees. The Moonstone is beautiful." Amusement crept its way into her voice.

"Now that you're fully my apprentice, theres something I must show you." The sandy she-cat walked briskly over to the side of the den, where a thick patch of ferns sprouted up from the ground. She used a paw to move a clump of them aside.

Where the ferns had been sheilding was the mouth of a tunnel. She beckoned him in with a wave of her skinny tail. He padded uneasily into the dusky hole. Suddenly, the ferns whipped back and he was left alone in the tunnel.

Smokepaw let out a squeak. "It's okay, Smokepaw. This is your first assesment of many."

The apprentice widened his leaf-green eyes. "An assesment already? It's only my first day!" He cried. "I know. This is to see what you know already and what we have to work on. These tests will be given once a moon." Her voice was muffled by the leaves.

"What?" His fur was puffed out. "I want you to go into the tunnel until you find the herb storage. You will scent out whatever herbs you know the name and use of and bring them to me. Only then will you be allowed back into the den."

Smokepaw took a minute to register before limping off into the tunnel, stretching out his whiskers to guide him. His vision was strained as he padded into the darkness.

He felt as if he had been padding for moons when the tunnel drove upwards suddenly. He scrabbled along the path into an odd hollow.

The apprentice was in the hollowed-out base of a tree. Light was filtering in through small notches in the uppermost bark. There were small pockets carved out inside of the tree, each with sharp-smelling herbs packed into them.

He looked around, sniffing each herb pocket. He could remeber certain scents, but had no idea where they had come from or what they did. He spotted a massive ball of cobwebs in the corner of the tree and curled some of it around a claw. He remebered that it had stopped bleeding.

In another pocket was a leafy and delicious-smelling plant. He knew what this was! He recalled hearing Tangleflower and Featherpaw discussing it while Featherpaw was visiting for a brief time. Catmint! He gently took one leaf into his teeth, careful not to knock anything over, and rested it by the entrance of the storage room.

The apprentice swept his gaze around the room before noticing a small seed directly under a shaft of light. A poppy seed. He placed it under the claw with the cobwebs and began to carry what he recognised back into the tunnel.

"I'm back!" He called. Tangleflower swept the ferns aside with her tail and allowed her apprentice into the den. "What did you find?"

He dropped the poppy seed on the ground. "I found this poppy seed." Tangleflower nodded. "What's it for?"

"Dulling pain and making cats sleepy." There was an uneasy note in his voice. Tagleflower blinked approvingly. "And?" He carefully unwrapped the web from his paw. "Cobwebs to stop bleeding and catmint for greencough." He dropped the leaf on the ground.

"Very good." The sandy medicine cat purred. "I'll take these back. You've done a good job today. I dug you a nest while you were gone, you can go to sleep." He looked over to where she motioned with her tail to see a small dip in the ground filled with moss and bracken. "Thank you, Tanglefl-" He realised she had disappeared into the ferns.

Smokepaw suddenly felt as if his paws were as heavy as stones. He trudged over to the nest next to his mentors and let a wave of sleep wash over him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Toaster Stroodal: Thanks! You're right, I do have spelling mistakes in many of my chapters. I'll proofread more thoroughly from now on.**

 **NekoDonut: I am actually planning a chapter or two following Swiftpaw. And thanks!**

 **frost: Thanks?**

 **It also seems like no one caught my not-so-subtle hint on what happened to the old clans last chapter ;) The hints this chapter are much more obvious.**

"Wake up, Smokepaw!" An amused meow sounded from above the apprentices head. He cracked his leafy green eyes open to see a sandy she-cat with brown tabby stripes standing over him. She gently prodded him with a paw. "Come on, don't you want to explore the territory for the second time? I doubt you knew what anything was when you snuck out."

"I'm up, Tangleflower." He purred as he rose from the nest. "Well, come on then!" She said, flicking her tail as she began to pad out of the den. Smokepaw stood up and hobbled eagerly after her.

"Morning, Swiftpaw!" He purred, stopping to greet his sister. "Good morning!" She replied. He turned and followed Tangleflower out of camp.

Smokepaw attempted to absorb every detail he could, things he couldn't have noticed when he left the first time. The tiny pebble sitting next to the exposed roots of a willow tree. A small leaf that swirled in the air before being carried onto the ground by a gentle breeze.

He was jerked back into reality when he ran into Tangleflower's leg. "Smokepaw? Are you paying attention?"

"Yeah, I was just looking around." He replied. She shot him a knowing glance. "Anyway, here is the Fern River." He gazed up to see a wide, flowing river slicing through the land in front of him. "It marks the boundary between us and RainClan. Do you smell thier scent?" He took in a deep breath, attempting to draw in the smell of anything other than the moss and water-scents. He shook his head. "No."

She flicked an ear. "You shouldn't. The river drowns out any scent. But RainClan cats don't swim, so the boundary is safe. We are the only clan intelligent enough to harness the ability of water for the well-being of our clan. When you were in BirchClan, did you notice how much more ragged thier pelts were?"

He looked back, thinking of Featherpaw, Cherryfeather, Duskpaw, Riverpaw, and the cats on patrol. Tangleflower was right. Their pelts were not glossy and sleek like that of StreamClan's cats. He nodded.

"We'll be using this river to strengthen your legs." She said before turning away. He followed instantly.

After a few more minutes of walking, they reached a small dip in the ground. The floor of the dip was lined with moss, and a group of cats were tussling around at the bottom. "Hey, Tangleflower!" One called.

"Hello, Stonepelt." She replied, beginning to pad down the dip. Smokepaw trailed after her. Suddenly, he lost his footing and went tumbling down into the clearing. "Smokepaw!" Shrieked Tangleflower, leaping down.

He pulled himself up, mortified that he had tripped. He gave his chest fur a few embarrassed licks as he noticed two apprentices holding back laughter. One was cloudy brown and another was tan. "Finchpaw! Lizardpaw!" Stonepelt whipped around and gave Finchpaw a hard cuff over the ear. Lizardpaw's mentor, a brown tabby cat, gave her a sharp glare.

"I'm fine." He whispered to Tangleflower. "We're just exploring territory." She told the cats. "For the second time..." Lizardpaw laughed under her breath. Tangleflower said nothing, but flicked her ear, a furious expression dawning across her face.

"Here's where the warrior apprentices train." She said, a hint of anger in her voice as she kept her eyes on Finchpaw and Lizardpaw. "Let's get going."

He turned and scrabbled up the side carefully after his mentor. After they were out of sight, Tangleflower let out a breath and rested her tail across Smokepaw's shoulders. "Ignore them. They don't understand."

They continued along the territory. "Smokepaw, look!" Purred Tangleflower. Smokepaw followed her gaze to a massive clearing with four oak trees sprouting up in each corner. A boulder with jagged edges sat in the center. "Where are we?" He asked.

"These are the four oaks, where we meet at every full moon! Aren't they beautiful?" Smokepaw looked up at the towering oaks and the boulder that lumbered over him. "Yeah." He said simply, feeling slightly intimidated, like he was a beetle standing beneath a warrior.

"Come on, we don't have much time left to explore." She began to lead him back into the heart of the forest, where he saw a beautiful sight. "Welcome to the Cherry Hill."

A small rise in the ground was entirely bordered with trees that stretched upwards and tangled thier branches together, creating a roof. At the top of the hill were three cherry trees.

Before he could be mesmerised any more, Tangleflower padded briskly ahead of him, motioning with her skinny tail to the slowly darkening sky. He scrabbled after her, his leg causing him to lag behind slightly.

"Here's the BirchClan border. Do you sme- Smokepaw?" Tangleflower paused mid-scentence. "This is where the dog was." He said quietly.

He felt Tangleflower stiffen next to him and he motioned with his bushy tail to a willow tree. "That's where it threw me."

She noticed a pained look in his eyes as he gazed around. "Let's get back to camp." She said.

The two shared a rabbit with Swiftpaw, who was talking about how much fun she had on her first day. "We saw the whole territory!"

They said their goodnights and headed to thier respective dens.

They padded back to the medicine den to see a young, cloudy brown tomcat sitting there, tail flicking impatiently. Finchpaw. He was favoring a paw and a few droplets of scarlet had settled into the den floor.

"Tangleflower! Smokepaw! Thank StarClan you're back. I got a thorn stuck in my pad." He motioned to his paw, which had a small thorn embedded into it.

Smokepaw felt a glimmer of satisfaction at the sight, but quickly pushed it away. "Smokepaw, watch what I do. Finchpaw, hold still." Tangleflower ordered, then sank her teeth into the thorn and yanked it out. Finchpaw lept back, hissing. "You can go."

He left, tail flicking as Smokepaw curled into his warm nest. The apprentice purred as he felt Tangleflower give him a swift lick on the forehead before climbing into her own. His paws felt as heavy as boulders and every hair on his pelt felt like another stone weighing him down as he sank deeper into the moss.


	8. Chapter 8

**Briardust: You'll find out soon enough ;)**

 **Note: Smokepaw's character design has been altered very slightly. He is no longer purely gray-black and smokey, he also has white toes, a white tail-tip, and a while muzzle. His front left paw is completely white. I made these tweaks because with a fully white mother and sister it would only make sense genetically to add some white onto him. Sorry that I didn't think to add these to his appearance originally.**

Smokepaw purred as he felt cool water lapping at his paws. He was nosed further into the stream by Tangleflower, who wanted to strengthen his three working legs with swimming. His paws were sore from yesterday's trek around the territory, but the river's water soothed his pads and releaxed him.

He padded into the shallows, feeling the water soak his belly fur. The river was very calm today- perfect for a swimming lesson. Tangleflower leapt ahead of him and landed in the water with a splash, purring. Her paws sliced gracefully through the water. "Come on!" She urged her apprentice.

He stepped deeper into the river, submerging his lower chest into it. In a few more uneasy movements he was up to his head. The current was just right- strong that it would be difficult to swim against, but weak that it would not move you if you slipped.

"Now, I want you to move your paws back and forth as if you were running. Don't stop. See if you can make it to that log over there." At that, she moved over to a rotting log a few fox-lengths away.

He took another pawstep and with a splash he was submerged entirely underwater, feeling the pebbly shore drop out from beneath his white paws. He immidiately followed Tangleflower's instructions, repressing the urge to thrash around and shriek.

He began to move his paws as if he were running through the territory, his leg acting as a deadweight as his head broke the surface of the water. Smokepaw took in a gasp of air, struggling to keep his head over the river.

"You can do it!" Tangleflower encouraged. He soon found a rythm to the movement of his paws and began to tread water. The apprentice moved a tail-length forward, feeling his fur drag him down, but he remained determened to reach his mentor. "See? You're a StreamClan cat, swimming is natural!" She said.

He propelled himself further upstream, drawing closer to Tangleflower. With a final burst of energy, he sliced his paws through the water and made it to the sandy tabby. "Very good!" She purred.

Smokepaw moved out of the water. "Your leg may weigh you down, but soon your other legs will grow enough to make up for the lost balance." He looked up and realised it was sunhigh already. A sudden yowl sounded out from across the wide river.

"Hey! What're you doing so close to the border?" A young brown-colored she-cat cried. There were three other cats with her. One cat, a black tom with green eyes, whipped around and glared at her. "Hawkpaw! That's a medicine cat!" He hissed.

"Who's that cat with her, then?" A tortoiseshell she-cat asked loudly. "This is my apprentice." Tangleflower called. "I'm sorry about Hawkpaw. We'll move on." The black tom apologized and continued on the patrol.

Before Smokepaw could register what had just happened, Tangleflower was gently nosing him back into the water. "Careful. Your paws are about to slip out from under you." Was her only warning before shoving him into the deeper end of the river.

He was underwater for a few seconds and saw minnows darting away from him. The gray-black smokey tom's head broke the surface of the water and he took in a gulp of air. To his shock, he quickly found the same rhythmic pace he had been at before.

Tangleflower was at his side in an instant. He tried to focus his mind on swimming ahead, but a question was nagging at the back of his mind. "Tangleflower," He began, struggling to keep riverwater out of his mouth, "Why does swimming seem to come so naturally to cats in StreamClan?"

She paused for a moment. "This way." She instructed, leaning towards the shore. He used his tail to balance himself as he followed.

"Watch," She instructed, then stretched out the toes on her paws. Smokepaw gasped.

In between each of her toes was a thin web of skin. "StreamClan cats have webbed paws, which was passed down from our warrior ancestors to all of us. Every StreamClan cat is born with the instinct to swim and hunt fish. It's in our blood. Smokepaw, even you have webbed paws. Look, stretch out your toes."

Unsure, he pulled his white toes outwards. Tangleflower was correct- there was a thin layer of skin in between each one. "Now, one lap around the river and we can head back to camp."

At that, he slid back into the river and began to paddle over to the opposite side. He turned, using his tail as a rudder, made a circle, and returned to the pebbly shore.

For a few minutes he sat there, relaxing with his mentor. She suddenly turned to him. "Smokepaw, I'm sorry about this, but... not all of your excersises will be with me. We can't have a medicine cat away from camp for too long. Starting the day after tomorrow, Jayfall will be giving you your swimming lessons."

He was shocked. "Huh?"

"We can't have me away from camp for so long. If a cat gets hurt... we just can't take any risks. You'll still have other excersises with me! Your swimming will just be supervised by your father."

He nodded, feeling his tail droop slightly. Well, at least he would be swimming with Jayfall. "Let's get back to camp. You need to sleep well, we're heading to the Moonstone tomorrow." Tangleflower said, standing up and stretching. Smokepaw was cheered up instantly.

Later on that night, he settled into his soft nest, joyful and content. Smokepaw tucked his nose under his tail-tip and allowed a wave of darkness to crash over him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Brairdust: You think I wouldn't get the reference? You cant be Sirius ;)**

 **Coco-Bunny313: Thanks! I'll work on the issue with the cats coming and going.**

 **IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: About a week from now, updates will most likely not be this frequent. I start school then, and finding free time to write will be difficult. I'll work on writing a chapter every night, but updates will more likely than not be slower than they are now. The chapters might come out closer to weekly than daily. I'll let you guys know when the weekly updates will start.**

"Smokepaw! Get up."

Smokepaw cracked open his eyes to see a sandy she-cat looming over him. "Yeah?" He said, standing up and stretching. "Here, we'll eat these minnows. Then you'll take some travelling herbs and we'll be on our way to the Moonstone." He joyfully remembered what would be in store for him today.

The apprentice gulped down his half of the minnows and hesitantly swallowed the traveling herbs, ignoring their bitter taste as they settled on his toungue. "Tangleflower, why am I the only one taking the traveling herbs?"

"Well, I've taken this journey many times. You are younger and smaller, you have never gone to the Moonstone before, much less traveled any distance close to it." She replied. "Let's get going."

And so they set out, and after having a quick conversation with Swiftpaw and Oaktail, left camp and padded through the territory.

It was a quiet walk. There was little exchange between them. They soon resched the Fern River, where they slid into the water and swam over gracefully. "Do we see any other cats on the way there?" Asked Smokepaw as they pulled themselves out of the river.

"We see the BirchClan medicine cats often on the way to the Moonstone, but the RainClan and FlickerClan medicine cats reach Mouthermouth before us." They suddenly veered out of their straight path and moved to the left, where they walked along the border.

"Tangleflower!" A joyful meow echoed out. The two turned to see Cherryfeather and Featherpaw bounding towards them. "Cherryfeather!" His mentor purred, nuzzling the cream she-cat "This is Smokepaw." She introduced, flicking her tail at the apprentice next to her.

"Hey, Smoke _paw!_ " Featherpaw said. Cherryfeather said nothing, but blinked approvingly.

On the journey, the two older cats walked ahead and discussed clan matters while the apprentices trailed behind and chatted. "The Moonstone's beautiful! When you walk in, its completely dark, but then the moon comes in through a hole in the roof and hits the crystal. The whole cave lights up!" Featherpaw described.

"The whole cave?"

"Yep! Its really bright! Everyone looks either silver or white."

"Woah..." He tried to imagine something so luminescent it could wash pelts an entirely different shade. The apprentice found it difficult. It was almost dusk already. "Smokepaw, look!"

He switched his gaze from the ground in front of him. Before him stood Highstones.

The apprentice was imposed by its mass. It lumbered over him and made him feel very small. His eyes widened as the peaks sliced through clouds. "They're huge!" He gasped. "Of course they're huge." Purred Tangleflower from up ahead. "Now come meet the other medicine cats."

They broke into a sprint, Smokepaw lagging behind. He felt the grass beneath his paws slowly transition into stone. There were three feline shapes sitting by the cave as the others bounded over.

Smokepaw noticed the distance between him and the group was increasing, but there was nothing he could do to close it. He was tree-lengths behind them.

Cherryfeather, Tangleflower, and Featherpaw reached Mothermouth a minute before he did. Smokepaw felt his pelt growing warm as the cats stared at him. "This is Smokepaw." Tangleflower introduced to the other cats when he reached them.

"Smokepaw, this is Tigerleaf, her apprentice, Sunfern, and Hollowsong." Smokepaw dipped his head. "Hi."

Tigerleaf was a brown tabby she-cat with green eyes. Sunfern was bright ginger with the same bright eyes as her mentor. Hollowsong was brown with a black marking on his forehead and amber eyes. "Hello!" Purred Sunfern.

Smokepaw watched as Tigerleaf leaned over and whispered in Tangleflower's ear. He pricked his ears and listened.

"What happened to his leg?" Tangleflower seemed irritated at the other medicine cat's curiousity. Smokepaw, however, only felt more determined to recover by her questions. He padded over. "I snuck out of camp and a dog attacked me."

Tigerleaf's expression turned to embarrassment. "Oh." She said. Seeing the awkwardness in the conversation, Sunfern interrupted. "We should go inside."

The other cats nodded. "Here, walk in between me and Hollowsong." Tangleflower offered as the cats stepped into the cave.

He was only a few tail-lengths in before he was swallowed by the darkess of the cave. He could hear the sound of soft pawsteps.

Tangleflower rested her tail on Smokepaw's shoulders. He stretched out his whiskers as far as they could go as the tunnel became narrower.

Jagged pebbles cut into his pads. He heard the breaths and steps of all cats around him. The air was stale and had a tang of dust and stone. The walls were closing to the point that the cats had formed a single-file line. The path was a steep downward slope and Smokepaw had to sink his claws into the cold rock beneath his paws to prevent himself from tumbling down and falling on Tangleflower.

Suddenly the quiet pawsteps stopped. "We're here." Tangleflower whispered.

Smokepaw felt underwhelmed. This was the Moonstone?

The cavern was wide and pale light from the stars filtered in through a hole on the roof. There were scents of earth, rock, and water pouring in from it. The cave was dimly lit.

He looked around. No cat's pelts had been washed white or silver. The cavern hadn't been lit up at all.

Suddenly, there was a blinding flash. Smokepaw closed his eyes against it, repressing a hiss. When he managed to crack open his eyes, he truly saw the beauty of the stone.

The cave walls had been splattered with moonlight and the cats around him had been bleached white. The stone was dazzling, illuminating the vast cavern with ease. The faint outlines of cats appeared around the hollow.

Smokepaw watched as the medicine cats huddled around the stone, not yet touching thier noses to it.

"Smokepaw, is it your wish to enter the ways of StarClan as a medicine cat?" Tangleflower asked.

Smokepaw dipped his head. "It is."

"Then come forward." Her voice was stern, but her eyes shone with pride. He padded forward, careful not to off-balance himself. "Warriors of StarClan, I present you with this apprentice. He has chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant him your wisdom and insight so he may understand your ways and heal his clan in accordance with your will."

The cats around them touched thier noses to the stone and fell asleep instantly. "You did it." She purred. "Touch your nose to the stone."

He did as he was told and the world fell out from under his paws.


	10. Chapter 10

**Briardust: Have a nice vacation!**

 **Dragonfrost: I do plan the story out before I type it. In fact, this story has been building itself in my head for about three years. I actually started out with Riverpaw before I had even read warriors. MY SUPER AMAZING BEST FRIEND WHO IS EPIC AND AWESOME made her name for me for a clan RP and then convinced me to read warriors. As the RP went on, I decided to make more OCs. I decided to give Riverpaw a friend in another clan, and thats how Smokepaw was made. I actually wanted to write a story revolving around Duskpaw and Riverpaw but then decided a story about thier friend Smokepaw might be a little more interesting ;)**

 **Okay so heres a thing I thought of one night when I was going over the plot for this story. I like to make up tiny little scenes in my head and make it fit the personalities of the cats in the story. Here's one I came up with for Smokepaw and Swiftpaw that I wanted to share:**

 **Every time Swiftpaw talks to Smokepaw, he waits for any tom thier age to walk by. When they do, he sucks in a huge breath, is silent for about three seconds, and then loudly yells, in the calmest voice he can muster, 'SWIFTPAW DID YOU TALK TO YOUR TOM CRUSH YET-' Before he is promptly tackled.**

Smokepaw felt nothing. He opened his eyes to see a clearing enclosed in lumbering trees. The apprentice suppressed a hiss. This place was nothing new. The smokey tom sat down and did nothing, knowing the she-cat would come.

Soon a blue figure was next to him. "Who are you?" He said slowly. "I am Blueflame." She turned to him. "And you are Smokepaw. Brother to Swiftpaw, son to Iceclaw and Jayfall, apprentice to Tangleflower. Medicine cat apprentice. Seven-and-one-half-moons-old. Member of StreamClan. Your best friend is either Tangleflower, Swiftpaw, or Featherpaw."

Smokepaw gazed at her, eyes wide. "How do you know all that?" She smiled. "I'm a StarClan cat."

He flicked his tail irritably. "I could tell you more." She said. "I could show you more."

Images flashed across his vision.

There was a ginger kittypet fighting with a gray tom. Then the kittypet was talking to another blue she-cat. After that, he was battling a pale tabby cat who ripped his collar off. He was tending to an elderly, scarred she-cat. He was standing over the body of tortoiseshell. He was glaring at a dark tabby tom.

He was watching as a crippled cat struggled to walk. He watched a silver queen die giving birth and a gray cat crossing a river. Smokepaw saw through the cats eyes. He was carrying a kit through the snow. He was fighting the dark tabby tom. He was watching as the blue she-cat was thrown from a gorge by dogs.

There were shrieks and wails of battle as a black cat with a tooth-studded collar clawed him. He gazed down at two kits. He was turning and looking back at a destroyed forest. He was...

Smokepaw crumpled to his knees, panting. "What was that?" He gasped, eyes wide and pupils small. There had been so much blood. So much fighting and war. So much pain and horror that fear gripped him and he felt his strength flow out of his body.

Blueflame looked down on the apprentice.

Then, the image of a scarred cat.

Its pelt was made of night, an inky blackness that swirled in its own shadows. He could see two bright sapphire eyes glaring at him. The left eye was milky and clouded with a long scar over it. There were two more scars over the cat's neck and thier ears were shredded.

And yet the cat's eyes were not filled with hatred or rage. They were brimming with sadness. And that was the last thing he saw before he woke up, shaking and covered in sweat by the Moonstone.

* * *

"Smokepaw, are you alright?" Asked Tangleflower, standing over him. "It's okay. You're awake now." His eyes were wide, his expression was one of terror and shock.

"All of the other medicine cats left. You can tell me what happened." Tangleflower's voice was thick with concern. "So much blood... so much blood..." He said quietly, trembling.

"Start from the beginning." He watched as her expression grew more and more worried as he described the dream. "And what was that she-cat's name?" She asked, voice deathly quiet.

"Blueflame." He said. Tangleflower's eyes widened and her ears flattened. "We need to get back to Shellstar. Right now. Come on, bite my tail, and try not to fall behind!"

He sank his teeth gently into his mentor's tail as she took off. He struggled to keep up as they darted through the tunnels. Soon they reached the cave entrance, but Tangleflower didn't slow down. He let go of her tail and followed her as the stone beneath his paws turned into patchy soil and eventually to grass. Icy rain sliced at his pelt but the she-cat seemed to ignore it.

His working legs screamed at him to stop and his chest felt as if it were filled with cobwebs. There was no hesitation as they broke through the Rainclan boundary and ran across thier territory. Smokepaw had slowed to be a tail-length behind Tangleflower.

Tangleflower dove instantly into the Fern River and Smokepaw plunged in after her. The current was stronger and he had to fight harder to make it to his clan without being swept away. They didn't even take the time to shake the droplets of water off thier pelts as they sped into camp.

"Smokepaw, go to the den."

"But-"

"I'll come get you when its your turn to talk. Go."

He sat in the den for what seemed like moons. Eventually, Tangleflower padded in and beckoned him out with her tail.

They padded into the leader's den, where Shellstar sat, his face grave. "Smokepaw, I want you to tell me exactly what happened in that dream."

After explaining his dream for the second time that day, Shellstar nodded at Tangleflower. "We're safe, for now. She's recovered, most likely."

Smokepaw's stomach was churning. He was angry, tired, confused, he had no idea what was going on, and his muscles were screeching in exhaustion. "What are you talking about?" He barely held back the shriek. Tangleflower and Shellstar turned to him.

"I'm sorry, Smokepaw. You deserve to know more. There was once a cat named Blueflame, who was normal until she became a warrior. She hit her head on a rock in battle and from then suffered horrible headaches that hindered her almost useless as a hunter or fighter. She drove herself insane. She killed three cats and then was banished from her clan. She died as a rouge. We belive she's returned to her old self in StarClan, but only time will tell." Tangleflower explained.

"Was there anything else in the dream? Any more images?" Shellstar pressed. "Well... there was one."

"What?"

"There was a cat. They were completely black, like they were made of shadows. They had two scars over thier neck and one ever thier left eye. Oh, and thier ears were shredded. We were in a huge hollow. It looked like Fourtrees, but at night. The cat also had really intense, deep blue eyes. They looked almost brokenhearted." He described the cat he had seen to them.

"That was probably Blueflame before she was exiled." Tangleflower said to Shellstar. "You may go back to your den, Smokepaw." The cream tomcat said.

Smokepaw nodded and hobbled away, paws dragging the dirt in exhaustion. He pushed into the den and collapsed into his nest.

 _'That was probably Blueflame before she was exiled.'_ Smokepaw blinked. However much he wanted to belive his leader, it didn't sit properly with him. Those eyes did not belong to Blueflame. They belonged to another cat. They belonged to another cat... a cat that he knew.


	11. Chapter 11

"Smokepaw! Pay attention!" Tangleflower hissed. "Huh?" Smokepaw said, looking up from his snowy white paws. "I said, pay attention! You won't get any further in your training until you memorize these herbs." She placed down a couple of roots. "What is this called?" She pressed.

"Uhh... Burdock root?" He guessed. She shook her head. "No. Comfrey root. What do comfrey roots do?"

He wracked his brain. "Er, help... with... infection?" The medicine cat shook her head. "Wrong. Mending broken bones and soothing wounds. Also for itching, pulled claws, or stiff joints. Honestly, Smokepaw, have you been listening to anything I've been saying?"

He twitched his tail. It wasn't his fault! Tangleflower looked up at the sky with a sigh. "It's time for your excersises. Jayfall should be waiting by the river."

With a nod he turned and padded away. It had been ten sunrises since he had his dream, and it had not stopped nagging him at the back of his mind, eating away at him until he was awake into the hours of the night pondering its meaning.

He made his way to the river, where a pale gray tomcat was waiting for him. "Smokepaw!" Jayfall purred. "Ready to start?"

Smokepaw flicked a white-tipped ear, diving into the river. Jayfall quickly followed him. The current was flowing harder than usual and the apprentice had to move his working legs more swiftly. Suddenly, Jayfall pushed on his side in an attempt to off-balance him.

Smokepaw shrieked, losing focus and being submerged underwater. He was quickly yanked up again. "You need to learn to keep your balance!" Cried the pale gray tabby.

Smokepaw hissed indignantly as his father pushed against him once more. He moved away. It was difficult enough fighting the current without the tom attempting to shove him over.

The apprentice began to dodge around his pushes, moving away from him swiftly whenever the tomcat approached.

He reminded himself that dodging wasn't the point of the excersize, but quickly pushed the thought away. Having been distracted for a few heartbeats, Jayfall shoved him over with a great push.

Smokepaw fell underwater for a split second before rising over the surface. He looked over to see his father turning to swim out of the river. "What're you doing?" He asked. Jayfall angled his ears over at an approaching thundercloud. Smokepaw followed him onto the shore.

He shook out his thick, smokey pelt, scattering clear droplets onto the pebbles, and followed Jayfall back to camp.

Smokepaw purred at the relaxing, rythmic thrumming of raindrops against the roof of camp. Unsure of what to do, he padded over to the medicine den.

The apprentice padded in to see Tangleflower curled up in her nest with a half-eaten group of minnows beside her and a cluster of herbs neatly stacked a few fox-lenths away. He twiched a tufted ear, feeling a small spark of irritation. Why should he have to swim against tough currents while his mentor ate and slept?

He inwardly hissed at himslef. She had his best intrests at heart. The apprentice walked over and finished the minnows. After a few minutes, Swiftpaw pushed into the den.

"Swiftpaw!" He purred. The she-cat padded over. "Training was cancelled because of the rain!" She informed him, sitting down next to her brother.

"How has training been?" He asked in a low voice, flicking his tail at his sleeping mentor. "It's been going really well! Yesterday I almost knocked Lizardpaw over! Oh, and I caught a whole carp!"

Smokepaw held back his shock. She was catching carp already? _That should be you,_ a voice hissed in the back of his mind. He shoved the thought away. "That's great!"

"What about you?" She asked.

He suddenly became intensely focused on his snowy-white paws. "Not much. We did go to the moonstone a few days ago, and it was beautiful. It lit up the whole cave!" _Also, I'm being stalked by a crazy, long-dead, murderous she-cat._

"Nothing too important since then. I've learned a few herbs. Tangleflower taught me how to remove a thorn from a paw, and how to dress a small wound. That's about it, though."

"Show me."

" _What?_ "

"I want you to show me."

He gazed at her. "Why?"

"Just do it."

He nodded, still confused. "Well, you just grab the thorn in your teeth and pull it out as quickly as you can."

"What happens after that?" She asked. "Um, if it's deep enough you add some cobwebs and some herbs for infection."

"What herbs?"

He flicked a white-tipped ear at the pressing questions. Why was she starting to act like Tangleflower? "Dock and goldenrod. Why?"

Swiftpaw flicked her tail over at Tangleflower's nest. He followed her gaze to see his mentor facing them with one pale green eye open. "You're awake!" Smokepaw purred. "Of course I am. How could I sleep through you two?" She stood and stretched, shaking bits of moss that clung to her pelt.

"So you were paying attention." She praised, padding over. "Swiftpaw, it's past dusk. I reccomend you head to your nest unless you want your paws feeling like stones come tomorrow."

The white she-cat nodded and scampered off. "You did well memorising the thorn removal tactic. Now come on, you need some rest." Said Tangleflower.

Smokepaw curled into his nest and fell asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey you! Yes, you! I need your OCs!**

 **Name:**

 **Gender:**

 **Appearance (Please be descriptive!):**

 **Body Type:**

 **Age:**

 **Rank:**

 **Family:**

 **Personality (Please be descriptive!):**

 **Skills: (A bit of info on this: There are five classes. Hunting, Fighting, Wit, Speed, and Stamina. The cat can be excellent at one, great at another, good with another, ok with another, and bad at the last.)**

 **Any extra details?:**

 **EX:**

 **Name: Smokepaw**

 **Gender: Male**

 **Appearance: Smokey gray tomcat with fur that is pale gray in some areas, mid gray in others, dark gray in others, and almost black in some. His toes are white, and his front right paw is entirely white. His tail-tip and ear-tips are also white. He has tufted ears and leafy green eyes. His left back leg is mangled and torn from a dog attack.**

 **Body Type: Large and slender. Big, tufted paws and ears set high on head. Webbed paws. His body is set low on his legs and he has a somewhat rounded face.**

 **Age: 8 Moons**

 **Rank: Medicine cat apprentice**

 **Family: Iceclaw (Mother) Jayfall (Father) Swiftpaw (Sister) Lilysong (Grandmother)**

 **Personality: Bold and determined. Scared easily. Protective of his family. Defiant and quick-tempered. Embarrassed very easily. Laid-back and mostly calm.**

 **Skills: Wit (excellent) Fighting (great) Stamina (good) Hunting (ok) Speed (bad)**

 **Any extra details?: No spoilers ;)**

Smokepaw blinked open his green eyes. The tomcat supressed a hiss as he realised the den was dark around around him. He slid out of the nest, shaking off bits of moss that clung to his fluffy pelt. He felt wide awake.

Each pawstep he took out of the den called him back to his nest, but he ignored the feeling. Smokepaw padded carefully out of the den. It was just before moonhigh. His gaze wandered over to the entrance of camp...

 _No! Remember what happened when you snuck out last time?_ He jerked his head away from the exit, casting a sideways glance at his mangled leg. It was entirely furless and the paw was ripped off, leaving him off-balanced. A deep gash tore a minnow-length away from where his paw had been torn away.

Smokepaw looked away. He whipped his tail over his own mouth, blocking a gasp as a shape slid out from the warriors den.

He crouched down, his gray-black pelt allowing him to melt into the shadows. He attempted to hide the pure white spots on his body- flattening his ears behind his head, curling his tail underneath his stomach, pressing his muzzle into the ground, and tucking his paws underneath his chest.

The cat padded into a patch of moonlight, revealing themselves to be fluffy and white. He took in a small bit of thier scent.

It was Iceclaw.

She sat down and gazed out of the hole the moonlight was filtering in through. Her green eyes flicked over to where he was. "Come out," She ordered.

He tensed. Maybe, just maybe, if he didn't move, she'd move on. Iceclaw flicked her ear in his direction. He reluctantly padded out of the shadows.

He said nothing as he sat down beside her. "Well? Why are you awake?" She asked. "Couldn't get back to sleep."

She suddenly rose and padded towards the entrance of camp, twitching her tail for him to follow. Smokepaw stood and trailed behind her. She walked ahead wordlessly.

Smokepaw was astounded by how much the forest had changed at night. Moonlight gleamed on the leaves. The gentle murmur of the Fern River sounded off from the distance. Fireflies swirled around thier paws with every step. The hoot of an owl echoed out.

He looked around every few seconds, amazed at how much night changed the territory. "We're here."

He looked up. They were at Cherry Hill.

The earth was splattered across with moonlight and shrouded in darkness. At the top of the rise, the three cherry trees loomed over them with beautiful mystery.

"Hurry." Iceclaw said, padding briskly up the slope and into the space between the trees. Smokepaw followed quickly. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Suddenly, it happened.

Moonlight flitered through the branches and flower petals began to flutter down from the trees, swirling around the two cats. One landed and came to rest on Iceclaw's ear. She flicked it and it fell onto Smokepaw's nose. He leapt up, attempting to catch every petal he saw.

Iceclaw laughed as the apprentice twisted in the air, grasping one in his paws. Before he could say anything, he jumped again, swatting another petal from the air. And so they continued, the she-cat chuckling has her son swung up into the air to catch the flowers.

His eyes shone each time he caught one and Iceclaw felt pride wash through her. "I have an idea." He said suddenly, approaching her with a flower. She nodded approvingly. Smokepaw motioned for her to duck her head. He moved over to her right ear, placing the flower in front of it and carefully weaving the small stem into her fur.

He moved away. Iceclaw looked up. She bounded down the hill to observe her reflection in a puddle. She padded back up, a rumbling purr sounding from her chest. She gave him a lick on the forehead. Smokepaw let out a yawn, noticing the falling of the petals slowing to an almost stop.

"Let's go back home." She purred, flicking her tail. He followed her back to camp.

* * *

Smokepaw's eyes fluttered open. He was laying in his nest, but something was off. He must have been sleeping very deeply. There was something in the back of his mind, a whisper of a dream he'd forgotten. His nest was nearly destroyed from thrashing around. The apprentice rose and stretched.

Tangleflower wasn't in the den. He stepped out into camp to see Jayfall and Iceclaw talking to each other near the side of camp. The cherry blossom was still woven into the fur by Iceclaw's ear.

Tangleflower and Oaktail were talking over a carp. She noticed Smokepaw, awake, and padded over.


	13. Chapter 13

**AAAAAAAAAAAAA thank you guys for submitting so many OC's! They'll still be open for more submissions for a while. Please, if you could, try not to submit too many kits or apprentices, I can't have that much of a crowded den! Ashweb, Sootstorm, Blazeheart, Frostpath, and Dewflight are definately going to be included soon. Vixenpaw and Fallenpaw will be in here as well. Onyxpaw, though... I have a few questions about his name. I feel like onyx isn't really something cats would know about. aaaaaa sorry if that's insulting at all! IjustfeellikesomethinglikeNightpaworBlackpawormaybeCoalpawmightbebetter**

 **AAAAaaaaAAAAaaaaa i dont mean to offend you Onyxpaw is still a super cool name ahsjfhejghsjrhgixhe,ghdienr**

 **Also with Stoneclaw, Brightfur, Lightningkit, Mosskit, Hollykit, Dovekit, and Mistykit, I feel as if the litter might be a little to big for BirchClan. I feel like Mistykit might be a good apprentice to Hollowsong of FlickerClan, though ;).**

 **Remember that all throughout the story, these are YOUR charachters. If you feel that they have been misrepresented in this story, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.**

Smokepaw paced around the den nervously as the sun set beneath the trees. "Calm down." Tangleflower purred. "How am I supposed to calm down? There's going to be so many cats! What if I don't make any friends? What if I embarrass myself?"

"That's not going to happen. You have Featherpaw, and there are his sisters you mentioned." Tangleflower said calmly. She had been dealing with this since sunhigh.

"Maybe if I violently fling my body into the river, I'll pass out for long enough to not be stressed about this gathering anymore." He thought out loud, starting towards the entrance of the den. "There will be no violent flinging of your body, nor will there be any passing out." Jayfall said, walking into the den and blocking the exit.

"Awwwww..." Said Smokepaw, looking away.

Tangleflower burst out laughing, falling backwards. "Come on, we're going." Said Jayfall.

Smokepaw walked along with his clanmates, anxiety radiating from his pelt in waves. He saw Vixenpaw and Fallenpaw rush ahead of him, chattering with excitement. "You'll be fine." Tangleflower reminded him. He heard the river in the distance. Maybe if he ran fast enough...

Before he could consider the matter for any longer, the cats in front of him broke into a sprint. He took in a breath and followed as quickly as he could with his ruined leg. The Four Oaks showed in the distance, and for a heartbeat he slowed down, overwhelmed.

There were more cats than he had ever seen in his entire life. A mess of colors in every corner, all crammed into the large hollow, shuffling and moving, a massive cluster of pelts that never stopped shifting. He was quickly nudged into the fray by his mentor.

"Follow me." She said, heading towards the base of the great rock. It loomed over him, casting a great shadow. He spotted the other medicine cats sitting where Tangleflower was leading him, chatting. Featherpaw's tail was twiching impatiently.

They reached the group. Featherpaw leapt up and ran over to Smokepaw, nearly knocking him over. Cherryfeather sighed. "I told him he couldn't go talk to the others until Smokepaw got here."

Tangleflower purred lightheartedly. "Come on!" Featherpaw said, padding away. Smokepaw followed.

They walked over to where a group of apprentices were sitting. He instantly recognized Duskpaw and Riverpaw. Next to them was a pale gray tomcat he'd never seen before. "Guys! Look, I brought Smokepaw!" He said, flicking his tail at his friend.

"Smokepaw!" The two she-cats said at the same time. The tomcat said nothing. "This is Graypaw. He's from FlickerClan." Featherpaw introduced. "We have an hour to talk before we need to get back to our mentors." The silver tomcat continued.

They sat in silence for a few heartbeats. "Who are your mentors?" Smokepaw asked.

"I have Sparrowwing." Said Graypaw, motioning in the direction or a red tomcat who sad a few fox-lengths away.

"I had Spiketail for about a half-moon, but then she had her kits. Now I have Scarletfall. I prefer Scarletfall." Duskpaw announced, her voice dropping to a whisper at the last few words.

"I have Silverstorm. I don't know where she is..." Finished Riverpaw, intense blue eyes flicking across the clearing.

"Speakining of kits... There's this queen in my clan. She has to be crazy! She only cares about one of her kits. She's so snobby about everything, and acts like nothing any cat ever does is good enough. I feel bad for her other kittens..." Graypaw trailed off. "What's her name?" Featherpaw cut in.

"Brightfur, I think. Her kits are Mosskit, Lightningkit, Hollykit, Dovekit, and Mistykit. Actually, I think Mistykit wants to be Hollowsong's apprentice. I don't know for sure. Mosskit is the only one Brightfur is kind to."

Duskpaw shuddered and Riverpaw flattened her ears. Smokepaw was shocked. "Let's move on." Featherpaw said.

Smokepaw was growing sleepy as the moon reached its highest point. "Come on, we should go back." Featherpaw said, guiding him back to the other medicine cats.

Soon four cats swirled up the Highrock. There was a lithe white she-cat, a brown tabby tom, a gray tomcat, and Shellstar.

"There's Lightstar, Oakstar, and Ivystar." Introduced Tangleflower quietly. Lightstar stepped forward first. "Prey is running well in RainClan. We have recently had a small dog, about the size of a large cat, chased away from our territory by our patrol. A warning."

Oakstar came forward and Lightstar stepped back. "Prey is also well in FlickerClan. We would like to announce that the old deputy, Snowswirl, was killed in a tunnel collapse. The new deputy of FlickerClan is Stoneclaw." Oakstar motioned down to a young black tomcat as the cats of all clans cheered.

Next was Ivystar. The tomcat seemed to be the oldest of all leaders, seeming as if he would collapse any minute. He was bony thin and his ribs were visible in the moonlight. His eyes, as Smokepaw could see, were rimmed with red. "All is well in BirchClan." Were the elderly tom's only words before padding back.

Smokepaw looked over at Featherpaw, whose eyes were dim.

He looked back as Shellstar padded forward. "StreamClan is thriving. We would like to announce the apprenticeships of two young cats, Swiftpaw and Smokepaw, who have been apprenticed to Oaktail and Tangleflower." Smokepaw felt his pelt flush was the clans chanted his and Swiftpaw's names.

"If that is all, the gathe-"

"That is not all, Lightstar. Please allow this old tom to make an announcement." Said Ivystar. All eyes darted to him.

"I regret to inform the clans that this will be my last gathering. I am on my final life, and have made the decision to join the elders by my warrior name. I have served my clan the best I possibly could, for as long as I could, and I hope you young cats will accept my decision to spend my moons of old age in the elders den."

Shocked murmurs swept over the crowd before respectful words were passed.

Suddenly, all of the cats were moving and leaving. "Let's get going." Said Tangleflower. He glanced up at the highrock before following.

As he climbed into his nest, he reviewed the gathering in his head. **(MAKES DIRECT EYE CONTACT WITH Snowshadow999 as I type the last sentence)** He finally allowed himself to fall into a deep sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

**(BLARES HAMILTON MUSIC) I've become obessed (BLARES LOUDER) I need to see it (BLARES LOUDER) But I most likely never will (BLARES LOUDER) Help (BLARES THE LOUDEST I CAN PLAY IT WITHOUT BREAKING THE SPEAKERS) The songs have become my life (BREAKS SPEAKERS) I am listening to Guns and Ships as I type this chapter (BEGINS TO SCREECH GUNS AND SHIPS)**

 **Remember that all throughout the story, these are YOUR charachters. If you feel that they have been misrepresented in any way, please let me know.**

Smokepaw pushed out of the camp entrance, dipping his head to Sootstorm and Frostpath as they passed. Tangleflower had tasked him with gathering poppies near Cherry Hill. As he walked, he gazed around at the forest.

Suddenly, a mouse darted out in front of him. He was entirely still. Ivystripe, a warrior he had met a few times as a kit, crashed throught the ferns and caught it in her teeth. The silver she-cat turned to him, let out a purr, then turned and left.

He continued on his way. Soon he reached the hill. At the very top sat Lizardpaw and Finchpaw, sunning themselves. Thier fur was dotted with petals. Fallenpaw and Vixenpaw were sitting in the branches and Coalpaw was play-fighting with Swiftpaw.

The dark-colored apprentice had the she-cat pinned down with a cherry flower in his mouth. Smokepaw looked up from the base of the hill incredulously.

 _Is he... FLIRTING with Swiftpaw?_ Smokepaw thought. He pushed the thought away, darting up the hill. "Hey, Smokepaw!" Said Coalpaw, rolling off of the white she-cat and dropping the flower.

"Hey!" Smokepaw replied. "Did you hear about Honeystripe? She moved into the nursery last night!" Said Lizardpaw, sitting up. Smokepaw purred thoughtfully, wondering why Tangleflower hadn't told him. "That's great!" Said Vixenpaw, dropping down from the branches.

"I wonder if Ivystar's moved into the elders den. I was so confused when he said he was retiring last night!" Fallenpaw thought out loud. "What happened last night?" Asked Coalpaw. "You didn't hear? Ivystar's going back to being an elder! We have to call him by his warrior name now." Swiftpaw said, winding up the tree truck opposite of the one Fallenpaw was sitting on.

"So Falconstreak's going to be leader now?" Asked Finchpaw. "I think so." Said Smokepaw. He was leaning agaisnt the stump of one of the sun-warmed cherry trees.

Coalpaw suddenly stiffened. "Warriors approaching!" He hissed, darting up a tree. The others scattered upwards as well. Smokepaw scrabbled upwards, Swiftpaw helping him into the uppermost branches of the trees with the most flowers still covering them.

"Why are we-" Smokepaw asked. Coalpaw whipped his tail over the tom's mouth. Sootstorm and Ashweb walked around the clearing before leaving. The apprentices returned to thier places. "What was that supposed to be?!" Smokepaw almost shrieked, spitting out a mouthfull of fur.

"Most warriors don't like it when we stay out in the forest alone." Finchpaw reminded him. Smokepaw nodded. They were quiet for a few minues. "What should we do now?" Asked Swiftpaw.

Finchpaw suddenly leapt up and tackled Coalpaw. The black tomcat hissed and batted Finchpaw away with a single swipe. Fallenpaw dropped down onto the cloudly brown tom and pinned him down, snarling. Lizardpaw knocked Fallenpaw over and they tumbled down the hill. Vixenpaw followed them down, laughing.

Swiftpaw was suddenly a tail-length away from Smokepaw, purring. "You up for a fight?" She laughed before crashing into him. He shreiked in shock, swiping blindly upwards until his one white paw connected with Swiftpaw's ear. She chuckled and leaped off.

Coalpaw suddenly tackled Swiftpaw. He pinned her down, purring. Smokepaw growled and knocked him off. The apprentices laughed and continued the play-fight.

"Smokepaw!" A furious shriek rang out. All of thier heads swiveled to where Tangleflower was standing at the base of the hill. The apprentice's eyes widened. He'd forgotten to gather the poppies!

He trotted down, tail low. His mentor's gaze bore into him and she gave him a sharp cuff over the ear. He looked up, shocked. She let out an enraged hiss. "Don't act suprised! You were supposed to be back hours ago!"

Smokepaw looked away. "I'm extremely disappointed in you. Get back to camp. Now. And what are you others doing here? Do your mentors have a clue where are you are? Coalpaw, get off of Swiftpaw, you aren't warriors yet- Don't be embarrassed, we all know what you're trying to do- Now go find your mentors." She commanded.

Tangleflower stayed behind as the apprentices scattered from the trees. Smokepaw walled briskly off, avoiding his mentor's gaze. He padded on his way.

Smokepaw padded into the medicine den, feeling dejected. The apprentice smacked himself on the head with a paw. Why did he forget? Now Tangleflower was furious with him. He'd never seen the she-cat so angry.

The smokey tom sat down near his nest. After a few minutes, Tangleflower padded in, tail lashing. She said nothing to him and stormed into the herb stores.

She padded out, jaws empty. "...Tangleflower?" He asked.

The medicine cat exploded.

There was rage she didn't attempt to mask in every word. "Do you have any idea how worried your parents were about you? How worried _I_ was about you?! You were given a simple task! Something that should've taken thirty minutes! You were _missing_ for _hours._ You drove me half insane with worry! I thought you could've been killed! Do you have any idea how absolutely terrified I was for you?! I thought I'd lost another apprentice!"


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter fifteen already! I'm shocked, this is the longest I've been able to keep a story going without losing intrest in the charachters. Please excuse me whist I continue to be Hamiltrash. Also, from now on, charachter references will be included at the beginning of every other chapter.**

 **Name: Tangleflower**

 **Gender: Female**

 **Appearance: Pale sandy she-cat with brown tabby swirls across her sides. Her paws are slightly lighter than the rest of her body. Her tail and legs are banded with a pale brown and her tail-tip is white. She has pale green eyes.**

 **Body Type: Small and thin. She is slender with an triangular face and large ears that are set wide across on her head. She has an angular chest and small paws. Her tail is very skinny and it tapers to a point. Her pelt is very short.**

 **Age: About 38 Moons (three years)**

 **Rank: Medicine cat**

 **Family: Sandytail (Mother) Muddyfur (Father, deceased)**

 **Personality: Gentle, kind, easy to please, and laid back. She has a cool temper and is rarely angry. She is excited very easily and is very caring towards younger cats.**

 **Skills: Wit (excellent) Speed (Great) Stamina (Good) Hunting (ok) Fighting (bad)**

 **Additional facts: She and Smokepaw are closer than most apprentices and mentors. She had one apprentice before, named Coldpaw, but they disappeared and were presumed dead before being her apprentice for very long.**

 **'The kids, when they like something on the internet, they call themselves trash ofS the thing.' Lin Manuel-Miranda, 2016**

Smokepaw was still crouched up against the wall, Tangleflower's word's setting in. He was silent, unable to respond to his mentor's furious shrieking. _Lose... another apprentice?_

She stared at him, gaze boring into his soul. They were silent for a few heartbeats before Tangleflower scoffed and padded out of the den. He stared at the ground, feeling like the scum of the earth. She wasn't angry with him because he was late. She was worried for him. She'd lost an apprentice, and she was scared of history repeating itself.

He wanted to run after her and apologize, but his paws stayed rooted to the ground. The apprenice didn't know what to say.

Soon the sandy tabby walked back into the den. He snapped out of the trance. "Tangleflower... I'm so sorry."

She turned her head to him, letting out a defeated sigh. "I know you are. I forgive you. But you must never scare me like that again." She padded over and nuzzled him. He sat down into his nest.

"Did you see the way Coalpaw had your sister pinned?" Asked Tangleflower, switching the subject. "Yeah!" He said, flicking his tail.

Tangleflower laughed. As if on cue, a random crash sounded from the entrance of the den as Fallenpaw padded in, her face coated in an expression of exasperation.

"Coalpaw did something stupid again." She announced. "What is it this time?" Sighed Tangleflower, standing up. "He chased a squirrel up a tree and fell. He landed in a patch of thorns and now he's stuck." They padded out of the den, Smokepaw laughing quietly to himself.

"He was trying to impress Swiftpaw, no doubt." Said Smokepaw to himself. They soon reached the patch of thorns Fallenpaw had described. There was a black shape squirming around in the center. Swiftpaw was roaring with laughter on the other side. Tangleflower extended her long neck over the thorns, staring at him.

The she-cat chuckled quietly before taking about two steps into the bush and gently tugging Coalpaw out. A few clumps of fur stayed behind in the thorns. Swiftpaw had stopped laughing by now. They watched as the medicine cat dragged him from the thorns.

"This is demeaning!" Coalpaw announced. "Good for you, mouse-brain." Said Fallenpaw. He finally tumbled onto the ground. "Idiotic tom." Swiftpaw muttered, but she still smiled.

"Hold still." Tangleflower ordered as she began to remove the thorns. He stiffened with each tug, but he kept at straight face the entire time. Coalpaw then noticed Swiftpaw staring at him. He smirked. Swiftpaw rolled her eyes and looked away.

The black tom turned his head to see Smokepaw hovering over him, glaring. Coalpaw smiled nervously, even though he could easily take out the other apprentice in a fight. The other tom moved away.

That night, Smokepaw curled into his nest with a sigh, exhausted by the events of the day. He allowed himself to fall asleep.

* * *

Smokepaw was standing in an icy clearing. There were seven cats facing opposite to him. "How dare you hunt in our territory?" Hissed one of them. "We're fighting for what's rightfully ours! The willows belong to StreamClan!" Smokepaw spat in reply, his warm breath spiraling out visibly in front of him.

His claws sank into the packed snow. Suddenly, one of the cats next to him sprang forward. A shrieking sound erupted from the clearing. There were now tussling masses of fur everywhare. He yowled as he noticed blood spray from his blue pelt.

He paused.

... Blue pelt?

Smokepaw hissed. This was a dream! He snapped out of his trance as he realised he was sparring with a tomcat furiously. The tom knocked him back.

He heard the rock before he felt it. There was a sickening crack and a horrible pain in the back of his head. His vision grew blurry. A shape rushed over. "Blueflame? Blueflame! Someone fetch Fernmask and Tanglepaw!"

His vision was fading in and out and muffled voices sounded from all around him. After a few heartbeats of gazing around helplessly, unable to move, his vision went black.

* * *

Smokepaw awoke in the medicine den, panting and gazing around frantically as he remembered the details of the dream. He sighed in relief as he recognized his den. The apprentice, still exhausted, dove back into his nest; He was too tired to consider the dream any longer.


	16. Chapter 16

**Me when I'm writing while sleep deprived: well then thats (insert number here) words in 10 minutes i am on fire today wHOOO**

 **Me, reading over it the next day: I switched tense eight times in one paragraph, made about thirty-eight spelling and grammar mistakes in each sentence, killed off sixteen major charachters for no reason, and started writing from the POV of a charachter who isn't even in this story. Awesome. Wow.**

Smokepaw cracked open his eyes, still exhausted. He felt as if he hadn't slept at all, and let out a yawn before rolling over, ignoring the dawn light that seeped in through the clear walls. He groaned as a cat he assumed to be Tangleflower prodded him with an outstretched paw. "Can I please just sleep for a few more seasons?" He asked, tucking his tail over his nose.

He felt another poke. The apprentice sighed and rolled over. His mentor was hovering over him with wide eyes. "Did you have any dreams last night?" She questioned. "Not that I can remember. Can I go back to sleep now?"

She shook her head. "No." Smokepaw let out a meow of protest, but he didn't think his mentor heard him. She had a strange expression in her eyes, like she was in some sort of trance. She quickly shoved her face downwards until it was a whisker-length from his. "You're absolutely sure you had no dreams last night? At all?"

Smokepaw was starting to become worried. "No! Where did you even get that idea from?"

"Last night, you were shrieking and thrashing around. I can distinctly remember you shouting, 'We're fighting for what's rightfully ours! The willows belong to StreamClan!' I have heard those words once and only once, Smokepaw. It was in the battle where Blueflame was injured." She said, urgency in her voice.

"I don't remember any dreams. I'm sorry." He replied firmly, sitting up in his nest. Tangleflower sighed once more, looking away. "Alright. I want you to go fetch one of the other apprentices- I beleive Fallenpaw, Vixenpaw, and Coalpaw have a day off today- and gather some comfrey roots."

He nodded, his sleepiness having evaporated. He swug up his mangled leg and padded out of the den. The tomcat made his way over to the apprentice's den, which was a drafty stone room in a corner of camp next to the warrior's den.

He poked his head in, and flicked his gaze over the three sleeping cats. Making a quick desicion, he sat and nudged Coalpaw awake. He hissed. "Tallear, you said I could have a day off!"

"I'm not Tallear. I'm Smokepaw. Come on, we're going gather comfrey by the river." He said, poking him again. The black tomcat growled and twisted upwards, meeting the other cat's gaze. "Can't you get Fallenpaw or Vixenpaw to do it?"

"You're already awake!" Smokepaw said cheerily, standing up. "So are you coming or not?"

"How about... not." Coalpaw rolled over.

"Hmmm... I don't know. It could be something you could talk to Swiftpaw about." Smokepaw said, starting to pad out of the den in dramatic movements. Before he could reach the entrance, Coalpaw was was at his side.

As they padded through the forest, the two apprentices started up a random conversation. "How did you manage to get a day off after yesterday's chaos?" Smokepaw asked. "I told Tallear we were hunting the whole time! We all caught some prey on the way back so our mentors would belive us."

Smokepaw nodded, remembering that Coalpaw was the best at hunting out of the apprentices. "Speaking of, what happened with Tangleflower?" The black tom questioned. "She was only angry because she thought I'd gotten lost."

"Oh."

They walked in awkward silence for a few moments. "Here! I found some!" Smokepaw announced.

"Help me dig it up. Detatch the stems, but don't damage the roots. That's what Tangleflower said to do."

The two apprentices went to work, diligently tearing up the dirt and biting off the stems until they had a neat pile of tangy-smelling roots at thier paws. "Bury the flowers and new ones will grow." Smokepaw murmered to himslef, kicking dirt over the stems.

"Why do we have to get these anyway? What do they do?" Coalpaw asked. "Mend broken bones, soothes wounds, heals wrenched claws, and helps itching and inflamed joints." He recited instantly, shocking himself.

Coalpaw gasped. "Itching? Oh no, it's the plague! We are all surely doomed from the itchiness. StarClan help us all." He said sarcastically, dramatically draping a paw over his forehead and falling over. "I am dead. The itchiness plague had killed me. May StarClan accept me into thier ranks."

Smokepaw laughed uncontrollably. They divided the pile in two, grasped the roots in thier jaws, and made their way to camp. They padded into the medicine den to see Tangleflower as they set down the herbs.

"Very good! You can go back to your den now, Coalpaw." Tangleflower said.

The apprentice walked out of the den as Tangleflower brought the roots into the stores. When she came back, she sat Smokepaw down and began to talk with him. "Jayfall and I have decided on another training method for you. It will mean a tighter schedule, but it will ensure your legs are stronger."

He pricked his white-tipped ears. "Sure! What is it?" He asked happily. "Once every three moons, you will run one lap around the territories, just outside of clan borders."

He tilted his head. "What if I'm accused of trespassing?" He asked. "You're a medicine cat apprentice. We are able to move through territories as we see it necessary."

Smokepaw nodded. "When does it start?"

Tangleflower looked upwards. It was Sunhigh. "Right about now. Blazeheart volunteered to help you." As if on cue, a tortoishell she-cat with bright amber eyes padded into the den. "Hey, Smokepaw! You ready to run?"

"I guess so..." He said, realising what a difficult task it would be. "What's wrong?" Tangleflower questioned, concerned. "Well... running around the terriories is difficult, even for a warrior. I'm only eight moons old, and I have my ruined leg." Blazeheart winced at his words.

"And my body wasn't exactly built for running as much as yours." He motioned with his tail to the she-cats. They had very similar body shapes- slender with thin tails, large ears high on thier head, triangular faces, small paws, angular chest, and short, fine pelts that laid back on thier lean bodies.

He, on the other paw, was large and cobby. His body was set low on his legs. He had a more rounded face than them and smaller ears. He was more wide than them and his legs were shorter. His paws were large and tufted. Not to mention he was much younger than both of them, he was simply not made to sprint for long periods of time.

"Smokepaw, the reason we only do this every few moons is because you'll be gone for about three days. Now, go say goodbye to everyone. I'll follow you to the border."

Smokepaw dipped his head, supressing a shocked cry, and padded out. Most cats had returned to the camp by now for a break. First, he padded over to the large group of apprentices. "Hey, guys. I have to leave... for a few days."

"You have to what?!" Swiftpaw shrieked, causing heads to swivel over to them. Smokepaw winced. "I'm sorry. It's something to train me to make up for my leg." He said.

"We'll miss you." Said Coalpaw, speaking for the others. Swiftpaw touched her nose to his. "Bye." He said. "Bye, Smokepaw." They replied.

He said his goodbyes to his parents before setting out with the other she-cats.

They reached the edge of the territory. "I'll be waiting for you, right here, okay? Hunt where you need to, don't go into the territories." Tangleflower instructed, nuzzling her apprentice. "Goodbye." She said. "Goodbye, Tangleflower." He touched his nose to hers once again.

"Start running in three... two... one."

And so the two cats took off, Smokepaw instantly lagging behind.


	17. Chapter 17

**Thanks for the reviews, everyone!**

 **Hey, Mistyheart. I'll be happy to include your charachters this chapter. A few problems, though. Firstly, I think that it would be extremely difficult for Splashflower to have gotten therapy from Tangleflower AND Smokepaw and for her kit to be the age that she is. Smokepaw has hardly been an apprentice for two moons, so Smokepaw wouldn't be able to help care for a two moon old kit before he became an apprentice himself. The badger attack would also need to be put in, and I'm sorry but I will not rewrite previous chapters to fit with submitted charachters, nor will I change future chapters to fit them- especially not that drastically. Smokepaw taking a mate in Emberkit (or taking a mate at all) Would become the center of the story, and I will not rewrite the story I've been plotting out for years to fit one OC** **. Emberkit's design is a bit unrealistic, so I will describe her as a simple calico when she starts to enter the story.**

 **Name: Swiftpaw**

 **Gender: Female**

 **Appearance: Long-furred, white, with large, icy blue eyes and one blue band near the tip of her tail**

 **Body Type: Long and tall. Medium-sized.**

 **Age: 8 Moons**

 **Rank: Apprentice**

 **Family: Iceclaw (mother) Jayfall (father) Smokepaw (Brother) Lilysong (Grandmother)**

 **Personality: Fiery, excitable, and entergetic. Always looking for trouble, and is ve** **ry protective of her family.**

 **Skills: Fighting (excellent) Wit (great) Hunting (Good) Stamina (ok) Speed (bad)**

 **Additional Facts: She wants to be a queen when she's old enough, but she is torn between wanting to hunt and fight or stay in the nursery.**

Smokepaw was dashing off after Blazeheart, lagging a few fox-lengths behind. She noticed his stumbling and slowed down slightly to meet him. "We have three days to get around the territories. We could make it in two, though." She said.

Smokepaw nodded, although he didn't see them making the lap in that amount of time.

By dusk, his lungs felt like they were filled with cobwebs and his legs were shrieking at him to stop. Weariness and complete exhaustion coated the tomcat's features. His pelt was ragged from racing through bushes, and thorns and twigs were tangled into his fur. Dirt and small pebbles had made thier way into his pawpads. Blazeheart was had the most stamina out of all the cats in the clan, and even she was panting slightly.

* * *

Swiftpaw let out a huff as she was slammed against the wall of the Mossy Dip. Vixenpaw stood opposite to her, breathing heavily. Oaktail flicked his ear in disappointment. It was the day Smokepaw was coming back.

The she-cat gathered herself up and leapt towards the other apprentice, bowling her over. She pinned Vixenpaw down. The older cat exploded upwards with her hind legs, shoving her off and causing her to land a fox-length away. Swiftpaw hissed, running towards her. She ducked and slid underneath Vixenpaw, then shoved her up, tossing her to the side before she could register what was happening.

The russet she-cat grunted and flew towards Swiftpaw. She leapt up and Vixenpaw went straight under her. Vixenpaw growled and shot back over. The other apprentice reared up on her hind legs and hit her with an outstretched paw.

The two darted at each other, meeting in the center. They balanced on thier hind legs and matched each other blow for blow. Swiftpaw shot out a paw and knocked her on her stomach, then leapt onto her and pinned her down before she regained herself, gently nipping her scruff.

"Alright, that's enough." Said Cloudwhisp. Oaktail padded over and gave her an approving lick on the ear. "You did well today." He said. Swiftpaw was almost shocked- her mentor rarely gave positive feedback to her, and complements were more scarce than flowers in Leaf-Bare.

"Thank you." She stammered. "You can head back to camp."

Swiftpaw padded through the forest. She was suddenly bowled over by a dark mass of fur. "Coalpaw!" She groaned as the tom stared down at her. "Let me up!" She said, shifting around.

"Nope! I shall sit here until the end of time." He declared. Swiftpaw huffed, twisting around. She stopped, staring at him. "Get off." She said.

"No."

"Coalpaw, move, you great lump!"

"Nah."

"If you don't let me up, I swear to StarClan-"

"I can't hear you over the sound of me not getting up."

"Coalpaw."

"Nope."

"Move." She angled her ears to a nearby bush. There was now a confident edge to her voice, and her expression changed to a smirk.

"Nev-"

The tom was suddenly cut off as another shape flew out from the bushes and sent him sprawling a fox-length away. Coalpaw instantly recognized the cat. "Smokepaw!" He purred.

Swiftpaw trotted over as Tangleflower and Blazeheart followed, chuckling softly. "We're back!" He said, standing up. The she-cat purred. "How was it?" She asked.

"Absolutely exhausting. I want to sleep until Leaf-Bare." He announced. There were thorns and twigs snagged on his now ragged and matted pelt and his paws were stained with mud.

The cats made thier way to camp.

Smokepaw greeted his parents and padded into his den as he removed the thorns and mats from his pelt.

After an hour of grooming, his pelt was back to being sleek. Suddenly, a young kitten came into the den, holding up a paw and mewling pitifully. "Hello?" The tiny calico called.

Smokepaw's whiskers twitched. "Yes?" He asked, the kit limping over to him and his mentor. "I stepped on a thorn!" She cried, lifting up her paw to reveal a short, wide thorn embedded loosely into her pawpad. "Could you handle this, Smokepaw? I'm going to gather some catmint in RainClan territory." Tangleflower said. Smokepaw nodded.

"This might sting," He said before swiftly yanking out the thorn. The she-kit yelped. "You're Emberkit, aren't you? I'm Smokepaw." He introduced himself. The kit dipped her head, gave a quick thank-you, then padded away.

Smokepaw was still exhausted, and collapsed into his nest with a sigh.


	18. Chapter 18

**Sorry for the very short chapter, I'm in a hurry and already under tons of pressure with school. I've decided (stupidly) To take up another story, so that should be up soon. Anyways, I don't think I'll ever close off OC submissions, so please tell me if you'd like a charachter put in.**

To say it simply, Smokepaw was tired. To say it accurately, he felt so exhausted he felt he'd die if he took anither step. He yawned loudly, stretching out. "You have a few days to rest," Tangleflower had told him.

He groaned and rolled over, burying his nose into the mossy nest. He could feel each individual hair on his pelt, weighing him down into the bedding. He hadn't slept last night, and by StarClan was he going to sleep for moons.

* * *

Smokepaw groaned as he stood up, still tired. But no matter how exhausted he was, his stomach had been growling at him for hours. He padded out of the den, fetching a shrew, and then padded back in.

"You look tired." Said Tangleflower, who was sorting herbs in the corner of the den. "I am. Can I just sleep forever?" He asked.

She shook her head, chuckling softly. "Of course not. Roseheart came in earlier today, she wanted to say hello and welcome you back, but you were sleeping."

"I should apologize to her." He said, sitting down and sinking his teeth into the shrew. He suddenly felt his mentor press against him, purring. "Tangleflower?" He asked.

"I'm so proud of you, Smokepaw. Look how far you've come." She said joyfully. He smiled.


	19. Chapter 19

**Question: Who's your favorite charachter so far?**

 **I want to sleep for two centuries.**

 **By the way, medicine cat OCs have been closed for a while, so I apologise to Eaglewhisper, but Frostfire will not be making it in. (I also would like to note that even if there was a slot open for medicine cats, I would never change the story so drastically as to add another conflict entirely.) And to IslandGamer, sure, I'd accept an apprentice.**

 **And another few notes about submitting OCs:**

 **Medicine cats have already been filled, please do not ask for them any more.**

 **Kits/Apprentices will be placed into another clan when they are submitted.**

 **I will not add any antagonists/conflicts/love intrests. (Aside from Coalpaw and Swiftpaw, of course ;) Because honestly just I couldn't resist putting that pairing in. I was literally reading through his ref and said out loud, 'I'm going to make him flirt with Swiftpaw.')**

Smokepaw touched his nose to the Moonstone for the second time in his life. He felt a tital wave of icy cold crash into his body and opened his eyes to a clearing he felt he'd seen too many times so far. "I know you're there, Blueflame. Just come out already, this really is getting old."

A mist formed beside him to reaveal a blue she-cat with stars swirling around her paws. "You really should learn to respect your elders. Hey, sorry about last time, by the way."

He looked at her, stunned. "Let me get this straight- when we first met, you acted like a queen, and then you were insane for a while, and now you're acting like a warrior."

She chuckled, curling her tail around her paws. "Of course! I'll be different every time you see me. Next time I could act like a kit. Or..." She dissolved like water and appeared upside-down on his other side. "I could act like a grouchy elder and claw your ears off if you say one thing incorrectly."

He turned his head to her, face blank. "I don't know how I'm supposed to react to you anymore." She laughed and flipped so she was sitting down next to him. "Nobody does! Hey, did Tangleflower tell you about Coldpaw yet?"

"Who's Coldpaw?" He asked. "Her old apprentice! Yeah, he just disappeared one day. Pretty sure he's dead, but if he if he is, I haven't met him yet. Spooky, right?" She dissolved again and appreared in front of him. "She was so mad when I left..." He stated.

She laughed once more, lifting him into the air and floating in circles around him as he sat, suspended above the ground. "She was furious!"

"Put me down, Blueflame."

She chuckled and set him down gently. "Welp, seems like you're waking up. Bye!" She said, before the clearing shattered around him and he woke up by the Moonstone.

The other medicine cats were waking up around him, and he turned to see Tangleflower already awake. "Did she come back?" She asked.

"She did, but she didn't act crazy. She was almost like another apprentice."

They paused as Featherpaw stretched out, cracking open his eyes. He yawned and turned to the other two, smiling. "Morning."

The group walked back to thier respective territories, chatting all the way along. Once Tangleflower and Smokepaw reached camp, Smokepaw dove into his nest for some actual rest.

"Not yet." Purred Tangleflower, sitting down in front of him. He stared at her blankly. "What?"

"Not yet." She repeated. He groaned and twisted over, standing up. "Why?"

Tangleflower continued to stare at him. His green gaze flicked around the den, before coming to his mentor's pale paws, where a tiny calico kit sat. "Emberkit? What are you doing here?"

The little bundle of fur jumped up instantly. "Hi, Smokepaw. Wanna play moss-ball?" He crouched down to be level with the kitten. "I'd love to. Right after..." He stood up, staring at Tangleflower. "... I take a nap." The sandy she-cat blinked, and was silent for a few seconds before sighing. "Emberkit, why don't you just go to the elder's den for a story?"

* * *

Smokepaw stretched out and cracked open his eyes to see Emberkit, sitting a few tail-lengths away from him. She wasn't looking in his direction. He silently rolled a ball of moss between his paws and batted it at her. She almost jumped, but turned and batted it back to him.

He lunged out of his nest and swatted it over. Tangleflower padded over and joined the game, and later at dusk, Swiftpaw joined. A few moss-balls later, they were all tired, and padded into thier nests, content with thier day.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter flipping twenty I'm yelling thank everyone for sticking with my wierd story also sorry for the short chapter**

Smokepaw groaned, feeling oddly tired for having just slept. "Smokepaw, would you pass me those juniper berries?" He sighed, staring at Tangleflower. She didn't seem to hear him. He sighed slightly louder. She flicked her ear, but still said nothing. "LOUD SIGHING NOISE." He said, feeling as if just speaking made him more exhausted.

She turned around. "What?"

"I feel super tired and I don't know why." He shifted his head onto his paws. "Just stand up and stretch, you'll feel awake." She told him, then turned back to her herbs. He groaned and stood up, then took a few steps. He immidiately felt weakened and collapsed back into the nest. He held up a shaking paw in front of his face. "Tangleflower... Something's wrong..."

She turned calmly, then almost shrieked. She darted out of the den and returned with a carp. "Eat." She commanded. He leaned forward and took a few bites, then wolfed down the entire fish. His mentor watched and was not satisfied until he was done.

"Smokepaw, you just can't go so long without eating!" She cried. He muttered something under his breath, but she didn't catch exactly what he'd said. He shuddered and buried his nose in between his snowy-white paws. Tangleflower bent down and licked him on the forehead comfortingly.

* * *

Swiftpaw brought her claws down onto the fish and flicked it out of the water, watching as it landed on the shore and thrashed around. She bent down and delivered a bite to its neck and it grew still.

"Good catch!" Said Finchpaw from downstream. "Thanks!" She replied, sliding into the water.

Once she was fully submerged, she felt free. Her paws guided her along and her long pelt streamed out behind her. A group of fish darted away from her, but she gripped one by the tail and pulled it back, then flung it onto the shore in Finchpaw's direction. "Catch!" She cried, breaking the surface with her head.

Finchpaw leapt up ang gripped the fish, then sank his teeth into its neck. He landed back on the ground, smiling. She almost didn't see Coalpaw glaring at him.

"Good job today! Everyone can head back to camp with thier catches. Finchpaw and Swiftpaw, you work very well together, we'll remember that." Called Stonepelt, flicking his tail at Oaktail. Oaktail nodded.

* * *

That night, Swiftpaw floated on her back in the river, gently waving her paws to keep herself in place. She gazed up at the stars happily, feeling free. Out here, there was no dawn patrol, no training, just herself, and maybe another cat. The stars glimmered in the sky and reflected in her blue eyes.

She smiled joyously as she felt the river lap at her fur softly. Fireflies were swirling around her as she purred. She heard something slide into the river. She flicked up her ears, instantly alert. Swiftpaw twisted so that she was swimming in place before she felt something bump into her. "Pretty out here, isn't it?" Coalpaw said.

"Coalpaw!" Swiftpaw cried, kicking backwards and flipping back into the water with a quiet splash. "Honestly, do you have to follow me everywhere I go? I swear, I get about five minutes out of one day without you tracking me!"

"That is completely accurate." He replied seriously. "I know it is." Came another voice, pushing Coalpaw upwards. He almost shrieked as he was lifted out of the water and promtly dunked back in. He heard Smokepaw laughing.

"Hey!" He called. "Whatever! It's your fault for being a stalker." Smokepaw replied. "I'm not a stalker!"

And so they went on until Swiftpaw broke them up.

"I'm going back to camp." Stated Swiftpaw. Smokepaw nodded and trailed after her, and so did Coalpaw. They shook off thier pelts, scattering clear droplets across the bank.

Swiftpaw curled into her nest. "Idiot." She muttered as Coalpaw passed. She heard the faint sound of Finchpaw holding back laughter.

 **Just some clarification, Smokepaw (and Swiftpaw, but she doesn't know it yet) Both cannot go too long without eating or else they become very weak and shaky. This causes them to be in more danger than other cats when leaf-bare comes around. Smokepaw had not eaten since when he got back to camp the previous morning.**


	21. Chapter 21

**I'm torn between Swiftpaw and Coalpaw and Swiftpaw and Finchpaw. hELP MEEE. What do you guys think?**

Smokepaw sighed, contented as he observed a small droplet of water fall onto the clear ceiling above his head, followed by a few more. Tangleflower groaned, knowing exactly what this meant. Her apprentice turned his bright green gaze to her. "Please?" He asked. She nodded and he padded briskly over to his nest.

Rain was one of Smokepaw's favorite things. The sound of the small drops falling down to the ground was enough to lull him instantly to sleep. Thunder was even worse. It never kept him awake, only assisted him in resting. In a split second, he was no longer awake.

* * *

Swiftpaw sighed, rolling over once more. She knew it was at least past moonhigh by now, and the massive thunderstorm that was raging outside had kept her awake for every minute it had been in the territory. She stood, exhausted but unable to rest, and wove around her sleeping denmates and out of camp.

She was instantly blasted with a gust of wind and water was thrown at her pelt. She simply ignored it, hooking her claws into a nearly tree and wearily scampering up the slippery bark. She stood on the tip of one of the strongest brances, the roof of camp directly ahead of her.

Swiftpaw crouched, ignoring the shockingly loud storm and the wind that whipped wet leaves againsts her drenched pelt that now clung to her thick frame. She lept towards the roof and hit it with a loud huffing sound that was drowned out by a large clap of thunder that echoed out the exact second she'd jumped. Most of her body hung out over the ground.

She sank her claws into the stone and attempted to heave herself onto the roof. She nearly shrieked as teeth were plunged into ner scruff and she was lifted up and dropped down, now safe. She looked up to see a young tomcat with fur that was white at the roots and morphed slowly to brown at the tips.

"Are you alright?" Finchpaw asked. She nodded. "Why are you up here?" Her deep blue gaze flickered over the other apprentice.

"I might ask the same to you." He shot back. "Couldn't sleep." She stated blankly. "Same here," He replied.

"Why the roof?" They both asked in unison, then shrugged and looked away. "I have a better place to go to." He stated before leaping onto the branch nearby. "Coming?" He asked. She nodded and followed.

They padded through the heavy rain before they reaced Cherry Hill. The petals were drenched in water but they still swirled around beneath the brances. Swiftpaw blinked slowly as Finchpaw headed up the hill, then followed him.

Not as many drops fell onto thier heads as they sat beneath the twisting branches that sheilded them from the storm.

Swiftpaw reached forward and gripped one of the dampened flowers in her teeth. It was so weak, however, that its soggy petals detachted from the stem the second she did, falling to the ground at her paws. She laughed quietly as Finchpaw dropped another flower onto her head.

* * *

Tangleflower sighed quietly as the rain poured down from outside of the den. Storms were never a good sign, and leaf-fall was approaching more quickly then she'd like to say. Just this morning, she'd noticed a few leaves that were changing shades and felt the slight chill of a cool wind.

It was just before dawn when she detected a rustling from the entrance of camp. She flew out of the den, prepared to shriek a warning over a clap of booming thunder, only to see two apprentices padding in from a nighttime stroll, a pair of which she'd prefer Smokepaw not know about.

She blinked calmly as the young deputy, Wildfern, assigned patrols a few minutes later. "Firedust, Torncloud, Tawnycloud, Bramblefur, border patrol along the RainClan line. Blazeroot, Emberfire, Darkshine, Turtleshade, BirchClan line. Mintfeather, Willowtree, Frostfire, Roseheart, Lizardpaw, hunt by Cherry Hill. I want Ivystripe, Tallear, Fallenpaw, Frostpath, and Ashweb all at sunhigh patrol. Go, now."

Tangleflower turned back into the den as the warriors filed out of camp. Smokepaw, still a large bundle of smokey fur with a slash of pink curled up in a tight ball in a mossy nest, was clearly dreaming, his paws twitching quietly and muffled mewls escaping his mouth.

She repressed a loud purr and laughter as he jerked awake, his eyes half-lidded and bleary. "I was this close to the mouse!" He said, holding his paws a tail-length apart. Tangleflower chuckled softly. "Catch as many mice as you want on your way to the river. Off you go." She said, flicking her tail at him as he hobbled out of the den.


	22. Chapter 22

**Fifty reviews? Thank you guys so much!**

 **I apologise for the short chapter, I wasn't sure how to build up the THING at the end of it. No looking ahead ;)**

Smokepaw padded into the medicine den to see Tangleflower rapidly pacing around, her fur ruffled. Her head snapped up the second he walked in. "Smokepaw! We've just uncovered some new information on Blueflame." The apprentice's ears shot up. "Really? What is it?"

"She was mates with a cat from another clan, BirchClan, to be specific. She had some kittens, but I've forgotten what thier names were. They joined BirchClan instead of StreamClan." Smokepaw shuffled his paws on the ground exitedly. "Are they still alive?" He questioned, buzzing with happiness. "Yes." She nodded.

Smokepaw was overjoyed. If he found those cats, he'd know more about what drove Blueflame to insanity!

But there was a secret motive he'd been keeping from Tangleflower. Blueflame had mentioned his mentor's old apprentice the last time he met her. Coldpaw, she'd called him. Blueflame knew something about him. If he uncovered Blueflame's insanity, he would then be able to search deeper for the missing apprentice.

"Thanks so much, Tangleflower! One last thing, what was her mate's name and what did he look like?"

"Nightriver. He was a silver tomcat with black patches. I still can't remember the name of thier kittens, but they took after him in terms of appearance."

"Thank you! I'll be back before sundown, alright? If you need me, I'll be at Fern River!" Smokepaw said, his exitement echoing in his voice, before turning and bounding out of the den.

As he neared the river, his pace slowed to his usual limp. He sat down as he reached the sandy bank and stared at the water that darted over the pebbles beneath it. He took his time to focus and listen to the cool wind rusting the reeds and brances, the soft murmur of the stream, the delicate song of birds overhead, the grass rustling behind him with obvious pawsteps... Wait.

Smokepaw whipped around to see Coalpaw sneaking up behind him. "I'd expect a quiet stalk from the best hunter out of the apprentices." He hissed playfully. Coalpaw straightened. "I was hoping you'd catch me." He sniffed, padding over and sitting next to the older apprentice.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Coalpaw gazing at the riverwater and Smokepaw staring at the clear sky with a smile plastered onto his face.

Suddenly, Coalpaw's paw flashed out, flipping a trout onto the bank and bending over, killing it in no less than three heartbeats. "Nice catch." Stated Smokepaw. Coalpaw purred. "Let's get back to camp so it stays warm." And so they brought Coalpaw's trout to camp and Smokepaw padded into the den.

"Smokepaw, I've remembered the name of Blueflame and Nightriver's kits." Stated Tangleflower. He perked up. "Really? Who are they?" Tangleflower paused. "I'm worried you might not be particularly overjoyed at who they are." She replied, looking away. "Just tell me!" He cried, exitement building. "Are you sure?" She added, meeting his entergetic green gaze. "Of course!" He confirmed.

"Blueflame and Nightriver's kits are now known as Featherpaw, Duskpaw, and Riverpaw."


	23. Chapter 23

**Well, Smokepaw has just discovered that some of his best friends are children of AN INSANE MURDERER, this is going to be fun to write.**

 _"Who?"_ Smokepaw repeated for about the fifth time. He stared at the wall blankly, then padded out of the den and into the forest. Tangleflower didn't attempt to stop him. He didn't know where he was going, but he found himself heading to the BirchClan border.

Ironically, he found none other than Featherpaw at the border, picking herbs. The silver tomcat purred as his friend's approach, but his smile faltered as he saw the serious look plastered onto his face.

"I need to meet you, Duskpaw, and Riverpaw, tonight at moonhigh. Don't tell anyone where you're going. I'll explain later." Smokepaw turned and left, leaving Featherpaw to gaze in confusion at the bush that he had just left through.

* * *

Smokepaw pushed through the bramble wall on the BirchClan border, only to see two very irritated she-cats and one confused and terrified tomcat who was slowly edging away from his littermates out of fear they'd bite his head off for waking them up. "Why am I not sleeping at this exact second, Smokepaw?" Riverpaw said, though with the volume she said it at it was closer to a shriek.

The apprentice winced. "Could you please attempt to be moderately quiet?"

Featherpaw snorted. " _Moderately quiet_ for Riverpaw is louder than what you just heard."

"Oh StarClan." Featherpaw added quietly as he was given murderous glares from both she-cats. "Why are we here?" Duskpaw asked.

Smokepaw took in a breath. "I want you to tell me everything you know about your mother."

The cats sitting opposite to him reacted in the exact opposite way he'd wanted them to. Riverpaw fell on her back and made a noise quite similar to a dying parrot, Duskpaw flinched so hard she nearly fell like her sister had, and Featherpaw squeaked and scrabbled up a tree.

"What do you know about her?" Duskpaw spat the last word as if it was a curse, bristling. Riverpaw had her lips peeled back in a snarl and was working her claws in the soil, and Featherpaw's reaction was unclear, his body being masked in leaves. There was a slight rustling in the bushes on Smokepaw's side, but they assumed it was the wind.

Smokepaw let out the breath he was holding in. "She's dream-stalking me."

"YOU TOO?!" The other cats screeched in unison, Featherpaw falling out of his tree and landing on his back with a grunt. Smokepaw would've been shocked if they didn't wake up every cat in the forest. He shook the fur on his head. "I'm not the only one being stalked by death murder cat of evil?"

Riverpaw nodded. "Nice name, by the way."

He gave them all of the details that he knew. They nodded along. "A few things you didn't mention. She almost killed Nightriver's family. He left her after he found out about her insanity, so she decided to try to kill everyone close to him to...win him back, I guess. She only succeeded in one murder, though."

Smokepaw looked at them blankly. "Ah, yes, the ever-so-attractive act of murdering one's immidiate family."

Cue loud laughter from Featherpaw and an identical snort from Riverpaw and Duskpaw. "How enirely accurate." Duskpaw stated as her littermate gave Featherpaw a swift kick in the leg, stopping his laughing short.

"Moving on. She dream-stalks you guys, too?"

"All of the time!" Said Duskpaw and Riverpaw.

"Only at the Moonstone." Stated Smokepaw and Featherpaw.

Suddenly, the rustling returned, on the other side of the bushes. "Hold on." Duskpaw said, seeing the look in Riverpaw's eyes. (By now, Smokepaw was extremely convinced they could read each other's minds.) She flicked her tail at Featherpaw, who scrabbled up his tree.

Riverpaw straightened, smoothing her bristling pelt and giving her fluffy chest fur a few swift, embarrassed licks. Smokepaw wondered for a few seconds what she was about to do, but his thought was cut off as the silver she-cat made a loud, dead-serious announcement.

"Wow," She began in a voice that was somehow monotone, dramatic, emotionless, and exaggerated all at the same time, "I am so glad that Duskpaw and I are meeting up with Smokepaw for the fifty-eighth time, and are strongly considering becoming his mate, yes, both at the same time, even though it defies multiple codes."

Choking noises from behind.

Smokepaw shrieked in horror. Featherpaw flung himself at Smokepaw from the tree, knocking him over as multiple cats tumbled out from the bushes.

He instantly regocnised Tangleflower and Swiftpaw. On the other side of the clearing, was a silver tabby she-cat bearing an almost exact resemblance to Riverpaw exept for her eyes and a few white patches, and a pretty russet-colored she-cat with a plumy tail. A cream she-cat he thought to be Cherryfeather darted forwards and yanked Featherpaw away from his friend, who was completely frozen with embarrasment and terror.

This was going to be fun to explain.


	24. Chapter 24

**Name: Smokepaw**

 **Nickname: None**

 **Reason For Naming: (Smoke) Smokey-gray pelt (paw) rank in clan**

 **Sex: Tomcat/Male**

 **Rank: Medicine cat apprentice**

 **Apprentices: None**

 **Mentor: Tangleflower**

 **Short description: Smokey gray tomcat with some white patches and green eyes**

 **Full description: Smoke gray pelt that shifts from pale to dark gray in different sections when he walks. His toes, ear-tips, tail-tip, and muzzle are white and his front left paw is fully white. He has large, leafy-green eyes. He is somewhat short. His tail is very fluffy and he has tufted ears. His back leg is mangled from a dog attack.**

 **Possible breeds: Maine Coon x Somali (Iceclaw) Turkish Angora x Maine Coon (Jayfall)**

 **Build: Cobby**

 **Main fur color: Smoke-Gray**

 **Fur length: Somewhat fluffy**

 **Eyes: Bright, leaf-green**

 **Scars: Mangled, twisted, and torn back leg (missing the paw with a deep gash halfway through it, no fur on this leg)**

 **Other info: Fluffy tail, tufted ears**

 **Scent: Catmint and honey**

 **Strengths: Strong build, wit, herb knowledge**

 **Weaknesses: Greatly impacted speed and stamina, no fighting training, no hunting training**

 **Likes: Rainstorms, feathers, swimming, minnows, playing with friends**

 **Dislikes: Dogs, being alone, being left behind**

 **Fears: Dogs**

 **Before Birth: Iceclaw had always wanted kittens, and she was persued by many tomcats, but Jayfall was too shy to approach her. One day, Iceclaw found him at Cherry Hill at Moonhigh and sat with him, talking, all night. At dawn, she touched her nose to his cheek and asked to meet him again the next night. He agreed, and they soon went there nightly. Jayfall later asked her to be his mate, to which she said yes and soon became pregnant with kits.**

 **As a kit: He was loud, adventurous, troublemaking, arrogant, and strongly convinced he would be the greatest warrior in the forest.**

 **Friends: Swiftpaw, Tangleflower, Featherpaw, Riverpaw, Duskpaw, Coalpaw**

 **Crush:** ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

 **Mother: Icepetal**

 **Father: Jayfall**

 **Sister: Swiftpaw**

 **Brother: Shellkit (deaceased)**

 **Fun Facts:**

 **-He is fully able to make a flower crown**

 **-As a kitten he had a crush on Lizardpaw but very quickly moved past it**

 **-His parents considered naming him either Ashkit or Sootkit**

 **-Doesnt know exactly how to feel about this Blueflame thing**

 **-He is a squish**

"Explain. Immidately." The silver tabby that looked exactly like Riverpaw ordered. Smokepaw opened his mouth, but no words came. His voice faltered. He looked to Riverpaw, Duskpaw, and Featherpaw for support, but they too seemed to be at a loss for words.

Tangleflower suddenly cut into the silent conversation. "Scarletfall, Silverstorm, this is extremely important medicine cat buisness that required your apprentices' input in the matter. Please excuse thier lack of explaination, although if they had any, I doubt a warrior with no experience in relations to StarClan would be of any help."

The two stood in stunned silence as they were harshly reprimanded by a cat they'd never spoken to before. "Word of this meeting will not leave this clearing." Stated Cherryfeather firmly, backing the other cats up. The silver cat, Silverstorm, visibly fought back a stinging retort, while the red cat, Scarletfall, dipped her head and padded out of the bushes.

Silverstorm noticed her friend leave and followed. Smokepaw assumed they had the close relationship thier apprentices did.

Cherryfeather whipped around. "What is the meaning of this?" She shrieked. "It was my idea." Smokepaw stated, stepping forward to the other cat's shocked glances. "They did nothing wrong but agree. If there is blame to be given, then it is all mine."

"Haha, um, no. We agreed, we deserve equal blame, Smokepaw." Riverpaw stated, narrowing her deep, vibrant blue eyes. With a jolt he realised that the many shades of blue in her eyes were slowly shifting. He suddenly remembered Duskpaw mentioning that her eyes would do that when she was angry, challenging, confused, depressed, or scared. He'd also been told they shifted very quickly when she was extremely joyful, but that had only happened once.

Smokepaw met her intense, serious gaze, as if to question her motives. She blinked slowly in response, but her pupils were still very small and the shades of blue still slowly shifting, conveying a demand of silence following her response.

"I strongly doubt the matter of the insane stalker cat could wait until the next gathering." Just a few days before had been the group's third gathering. Duskpaw's answer was met with silence.

"Um, may I interject?" Asked Swiftpaw, speaking up at last after choking from Riverpaw's comment about Smokepaw while they were still in the bushes for most of the conversation. "What in StarClan is going on?"

The group quickly explained (every few seconds one cat would be cut off by another's correction or comment) to Cherryfeather and Swiftpaw. "Well, I'm going to go back to camp and rethink literally everything I know." The white she-cat replied, pushing through the bushes.

"Well," Tangleflower began. "I beleive my apprentice and I should be getting back to camp to _have a talk."_ She shot him a glare from beside him.

The others turned to leave, Duskpaw and Riverpaw mouthing 'sorry' at him before resuming thier strange silent conversation (Smokepaw was still a firm believer that they could read each other's minds).

He walked back to camp, trying his best to ignore the obvious tension between him and his mentor. Once they reached the den, she turned on him. "That was incredibly irresponsible, Smokepaw! For three moons, starting tomorrow at sunhigh, you will not be allowed to enter camp at all. You will survive in the territory. I cannot belive that you of all cats would sneak out of camp to meet with cats from another clan."

Her speech was short, but Smokepaw still felt the sting as if she had went on a full rant as he padded over to his nest, guilt and worry of the punishment wieghing heavily on his mind. She shot him a pointed glare, pale green eyes narrowed in a challenge as she curled into her bedding that was only a mouse-length from his. Letting out a silent sigh, he walked over to the other side and curled up on the dusty floor.

And yet, as he lay awake on the cold, hard floor in the tight and airless corner of the den, he felt no regrets from his meeting, and silently assured himself he'd be talking to them again.


	25. Chapter 25

**HELLO PEOPLE READING THIS. From now on, there will be some Swearing™ in the author's notes. Also, thanks to xMysicWolfx, I can properly spell character! And yes, Coco-Bunny313, it is a "Stupid and harsh" punishment for sneaking out of camp, I am fully aware that "Cats have done worse for less punishment" And I will not be giving anyone "Any 'She want to protect her apprentice!' Bullcrap", as you so kindly put it. I did it for plot purposes which will be made clear further into the story.**

Smokepaw padded into the forest, taking a final glance at Tangleflower as he gazed at the camp he wouldn't be allowed to return to for three moons.

He found himself wandering aimlessly through the territory, wondering what he was supposed to do. He couldn't hunt. That realisation only hit him after he left without eating, feeling the first prickle of hunger in his stomach. He groaned, continuing his walk through the trees.

He picked up a group of familiar scents near the BirchClan border. He spotted his friends, who explained to him that they recieved a similar punishment.

"Hey, did any of your mentors specify we had to stay in the territory?" Asked Smokepaw. Each cat shook thier heads. He grinned deviously. "Follow me." He stated, hobbling away.

After a few minutes of walking, they reached a land just outside of the clan territories. "We're living here for three moons." He stated, leading them to a large clearing with a large oak tree in the center, which had a hollowed-out stump, the prey-smell was thick in the air, and the gentle murmur of a river sounded a couple of tree-lengths away.

"Woah. How did you find out about this place?" Asked Featherpaw.

"Late-Night explorations."

"Well, I think we should go hunting while Featherpaw and Smokepaw stay here." Duskpaw said to Riverpaw. Smokepaw pricked his tufted ears. "Quite the leader, are you, Duskpaw?" He asked.

They laughed as Riverpaw and Duskpaw padded away. He was left alone with Featherpaw.

They sat in awkward silence until Duskpaw and Riverpaw returned with some prey. Featherpaw dove into a small squirrel. Duskpaw wolfed down two mice and Riverpaw attacked a chipmunk. Smokepaw was left with a sparrow.

He bent over and took a bite. Flavour washed over his tounge and he gulped it down.

It was soon dusk. The apprentices filed into the hollow oak trunk. It was slightly crowded, but they were comfortable, so they stayed.

* * *

Smokepaw blinked open his eyes. The pale gray dawn light flitered in through the entrence to the hollow. He looked around, not knowing where he was. He saw Duskpaw laying belly-up, pushed into an awkward position on the wall of the stump by Featherpaw, who was spread out across the entire den, and Riverpaw was curled into a tight ball in the corner (her entire body was masked by her impossibly fluffy tail).

Then the memories flooded back. He was outside of clan territory in what was, to him, temporary exile. He swung his leg up into a standing position, then padded out of the hollow and stretched out.

He began to groom himself, and when the sun was fully up, Featherpaw walked out.

Than came Duskpaw and Riverpaw. "Do you guys always look this dead in the mornings?" He questioned. Their fur was frizzy and twisted and they looked as if they were still partially asleep.

The cats began to groom themselves, smoothing thier fur. "I'm going to head over to that river. Does anyone want to come?" He asked, flicking his ears in the direction of the murmuring.

Each cat nodded. They wandered through the territority until they reached a wide, deep stream with a gentle current. Smokepaw waded in, relishing in the cool water that washed over his three paws.

After a few seconds, he leapt up a tail-length into the air and into the water, sending droplets of water spraying onto his friends.

He watched as Duskpaw and Riverpaw gave each other a series of messages (widening and narrowing thier eyes, twitching thier ears, flicking thier tails, bristling). Riverpaw smirked. She then turned to the side and kicked Featherpaw into the water with both of her hind legs.

The tomcat shrieked. Smokepaw swam gracefully over and pulled him out as he flailed around. A mischievious grin spread over his face.

"I'm going to teach you how to swim."

No. Everything said no. Herbs, sand, grass, trees, prey, StarClan themselves, all yelled no. The ground beneath thier paws and sky above thier heads said no. Kittypets said no. Loners and rouges said no. Every cat from every clan said no. Literally bacteria said no.

"HELL YEAH!" Shouted Riverpaw.


	26. Chapter 26

**Did this take me way too long to write? Yes**

 **Is that because I was studying for Exams™ all week instead of writing these 1,297 words of literal filler? Very much so**

 **Is it currently the middle of the night? 100%**

 **Is the writing really weird, the ending really terrible, and all of this a mess? YEP**

 **Am I going to proofread it? HELL NO**

 **Muffiny The Muffin Goddess: You don't have to redo it, but thanks anyway! My family thinks I'm insane now because when I saw 'Crush: Swiftpaw' I said 'AYYY' and made finger guns at my screen**

 **Branchpelt127: AAAH THATS SO NICE. THANK**

Smokepaw smiled. He'd never taught anyone to swim before. They were half-StreamClan, so he expected them to have some instinct. He waded over and grabbed Duskpaw's foot. She growled with suprise as he noted the webs on her paws. He then padded over to Featherpaw and Riverpaw. They had webbed paws as well.

"Alright. Just come into the shallows with me." He said, walking into the part of the water that tugged at his stomach fur. They followed. Some recoiled at the touch of the cool water. Shaking off thier worries, they followed him into the shallows.

"Okay, good. Now just ease yourself into the deep end. You're half-StreamClan, so this sould come naturally." He guessed, not knowing how else they would learn. They followed exactly. "Hm. Yes. Good. And now..."

He walked over and shoved them over, knocking them into the deep river. They shrieked as the ground dropped out from beneath thier paws.

Duskpaw regained herself quickly, moving her long limbs swiftly back and fourth in a running pattern. Her head soon appeared above the water.

Riverpaw's long pelt added difficulty to swimming, and her tail was a deadweight. She thrashed around underwater for a few seconds before relaxing and following the silent instructions from her sister and beginning to swim.

Featherpaw whipped around in the water, feeling as if he were being attacked. He flailed his limbs weakly. After many seconds of trying (and expectations of death), he finally found his head above water.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF STARCLAN WAS THAT?" Duskpaw yelled. Smokepaw chuckled. "You'll have to catch me to get revenge!" He called, swimming further upriver. A look of determination crossed thier faces and they swam towards him.

Smokepaw was much more experienced and graceful with swimming, but be registered thier ambition quickly enough. He ducked under the water and silently swam to the shore, sliding away.

At that, he broke into a limping sprint through the forest. He was drenched, but he didn't care as he slowed to a halt by a willow tree. He couldn't hear much over his own panting and the water matting the fur in his ears. Smokepaw rose, glancing around after his pause.

And then, a great weight dropped down onto him. Featherpaw pinned him down quickly. Smokepaw wriggled out from under the other apprentice and began to pelt away, only to be blocked by Riverpaw and Duskpaw. He snorted as they all tackled him at once.

"I surrender!" He cried, raising a white paw to his forehead dramatically.

* * *

The next morning, he woke up to find that Duskpaw and Riverpaw had disappeared from the den.

He stretched and stepped out of the hollow. He was immidiately crushed by two figures crashing down onto him from branches. He made an odd noise as the she-cats howled with laughter. He let out a short, sarcastic laugh. Riverpaw shoved him over. "Lighten up!" She chuckled.

At that, a sharp raindrop hit him squarely between the ears. It was quickly followed by a few more. "Fox-Dung!" Duskpaw cursed.

They each dove into the Oak Hollow, as they had decided to call it. Featherpaw awoke with something between a snort and a growl. He looked up groggily to see his littermates and friend crouching in the corner. Smokepaw looked half-alseep.

"I'm going back to sleep." Stated Riverpaw, curling into a tight ball of fluff. Smokepaw nodded, before drifting off while he was still standing and falling on his face. Duskpaw curled up next to Riverpaw. Featherpaw decided to not ask any questions and went back to sleep.

* * *

When the storm ended, it was long past Sunhigh. The group decided to do some quick hunting before heading back to thier temporary camp.

When they returned with a squirrel, a few mice, and a few minnows (Duskpaw had gone out of her way to get these for Smokepaw) they found quite the unusual sight.

A young white tomcat with dark green eyes and a short pelt, about warrior's age, was sleeping in the Oak Hollow.

Duskpaw's tail whipped out and smacked the tomcat on the face. His eyes cracked open and he immediately jolted up. Smokepaw glanced over at his friends to see thier reactions.

Featherpaw's face betrayed no emotions.

Riverpaw's eyes began to shift slightly as her gaze flicked over the tomcat. Smokepaw was all too used to watching her do this. She observed every cat she met, and appeared to know everything about them from first glance. Her gaze was cold as she analyzed the newcomer.

Duskpaw had her head cocked to the side, but kept her noble stance. She had the air around her that proclamed her the leader of the small group as she loomed over the white cat.

"Ah! Yes! Clan cats!" The tomcat cried, a near-begging tone in his voice. "Two medicine cats and two warriors, I can tell. I have been searching for moons! Could any of you please direct me to StreamClan camp?"

Duskpaw snorted. "And why exactly would we do that?" She ignored the comment that misplaced thier ranks, hoping to preserve her dominance over this cat.

"Please! I must see Tangleflower."

Smokepaw stiffened, his leaf-green gaze growing hard. "What buisness do you have with her?" He asked, a cold edge to his voice.

"I've been searching for her for many seasons. StreamClan must have changed so much since I've been there."

"And what might be your name?"

"Coldpaw."

Smokepaw froze. His heart hammered. His chest tightened. Coldpaw. This was Coldpaw. Coldpaw was alive.

After a few heartbeats of silence, he finally spoke up, though his voice came out slightly strangled. "Ah, yes. My mentor speaks very highly of you."

"Oh! They must have known me."

"They definately knew you."

"Well, our mentors should meet up sometime. She's probably still searching for me."

Smokepaw snorted. "She is."

At that, Smokepaw padded off into the forest, Coldpaw trailing after him and the other cats gazing after the pair.

* * *

Smokepaw somehow knew exactly where his mentor would be. He found her, gathering poppies at Cherry Hill. He motioned for Coldpaw to stay behind in the bushes. "Tangleflower!" Smokepaw cried, jumping out.

"Smokepaw! You're alright! I haven't seen you anywhere for the past few days. I'm so sorry for letting you leave. I knew you had snuck out, and I talked to Shellstar before I left. It was his idea to do this, I'm so sorry-"

Smokepaw nuzzled his mentor joyfully, recalling that Shellstar had always been quite harsh with punishments. Her curled his tail around his paws, sitting down. Tangleflower placed her paw on his back and lapped at his ears. "I've been staying outside of the territory with Duskpaw, Riverpaw, and Featherpaw." He replied.

She pulled away, resting her front paws on his shoulders and sitting down across from him. "Of course. I'd expect no less from my apprentice."

"Your _what?"_ The shriek echoed out from the bushes. Tangleflower looked over to see none other than Coldpaw, dark green eyes wide.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter summary: Coldpaw is a jealous and arrogant little shit and Smokepaw is a cute little shit, Tangleflower roasts someone's ass**

"Coldpaw..."

"What do you mean, _your apprentice? I'm_ your apprentice! I get lost and stolen by twolegs and you take another? I've been trying to get back to you for moons! Seasons! I understood and listened to every lesson, obeyed you completely, was respectful and took all of my responsibilites, and you replace me with a bloody _cripple?_ " The white tomcat ranted.

Smokepaw flinched, a hurt look crossing his face. Tangleflower, however, had her shock overcome by fury. She looked positively livid at his final comment. She cuffed him aro, und the ears. Cuffed was an understatement. She smashed her sandy paw upside of his head so hard he staggered to the side.

"Excuse me? Smokepaw is my apprentice! We fought and you stormed off, and stupidly ran into the twolegplace! You were ignorant, mouse-brained, disrespectful, and arrogant! How dare you insult him when he is twice the medicine cat you could ever be? Stop predending the whole clan loved you- you made far too many enemies within your own clan to be considered popular." She spat furiously.

In a few seconds, Smokepaw's head was crowded with thoughts.

 _So Coldpaw wasn't such a kind cat? Tangleflower seemed so lost when we spoke about him, and now she's acting as if they hated each other. Ignorant, mouse-brained, disrespectful, arrogant. Tangleflower must not have liked him much, but then why was she so terrified when it was me that was late?_

Before he could voice any of these thoughts, however, Coldpaw whipped around and lunged at him. He felt claws sink into his shoulders as he was knocked backwards. Tangleflower shrieked, livid. He felt claws tear at his chest.

He kicked up wildly and blindly as blood oozed from the wide blows over his chest. Claws ripped at his ears- he knew they would be shredded after this, feeling them tear completely through his tufted, white-tipped ears- and suddenly the wieght dissapeared.

Three apprentices crashed through the bushes, shoving Coldpaw off of the smokey tomcat. One cloudy brown tomcat pinned Coldpaw down, claws sinking deep into either side of his chest. His lips were peeled back in a furious snarl, and his muzzle was nearing dangerously close to his throat as he growled at a low volume, sounding shockingly like a lion.

Finchpaw's tail was lashing furiously from side to side. Lizardpaw stared coldly at him, with the quiet comment of "Don't kill him yet, Finchpaw. "

Smokepaw was breathing heavily, struggling to get to his feet. Swiftpaw and Tangleflower darted over. "Smokepaw! Smokepaw, are you alright?" Swiftpaw begged as she helped him up

Tangleflower whipped around to Swiftpaw. "Swiftpaw, I want you to follow Smokepaw's scent trail to his temporary camp. Featherpaw, Duskpaw, and Riverpaw should be there. Fetch Featherpaw- he's two moons older than Smokepaw, so he should know what to do- while I bring this traitorous piece of fox-dung back to camp."

The white she-cat bounded away. "Finchpaw, stay here. I have no doubt in my mind I'll be able to convince Shellstar to reward you greatly for this."

The cloudy brown tomcat padded over to Smokepaw.

* * *

One day later, Smokepaw was back at the Oak Hollow, under close supervision by his best friends. It reminded him of when he was first attacked, staying in the tree roots that made up the BirchClan medicine cat's den. His ears were wrapped in leaves and he constantly had herb mixtures on his chest.

He was allowed into the the camp, but not into the territory, which he found outrageous and attempted to negotiate, but his arguments were quickly quieted by a sharp glare from Duskpaw.

Now, he was staring at a pale, tan she-cat and a clouded brown tomcat. "Lizardpaw! Finchpaw! What are you guys doing here?"

"We've recieved our warrior names. We are now Lizardstrike and Finchtail." Lizardstrike purred.

"Congratulations!" Came the call from across the clearing before he could reply. Featherpaw bounded over, quickly followed by his littermates.

"Who are they, Smokepaw?" Finchtail questioned. Smokepaw turned. "This is Duskpaw, Riverpaw, and Featherpaw. I've been staying with them."

Riverpaw dipped her head, but her eyes were darting across their features analytically. Duskpaw purred. "A pleasure to meet you, Lizardstrike, Finchtail." She said, sitting down. Featherpaw followed suit.

"What happened to Coldpaw?" Smokepaw asked, resuming the conversation. "Exiled. Turns out Shellstar didn't like him much either. He has always been quite harsh with his punishments, though I think Coldpaw deserved it for attemtped murder." Lizardstrike explained.

* * *

After a long day of talking to Finchtail and Lizardstrike, Smokepaw curled into his nest.


	28. Chapter 28

**Coco-Bunny313: No, that was not all it was leading up to.**

 **Question of the day: What are your favorite songs to listen to while writing?**

 **Name: Featherpaw**

 **Gender: Male**

 **Appearance: Silver tomcat with jet-black swirls across his sides. He has black legs, paws, tail, face, and ears and dark hazel eyes**

 **Body Type: Lithe and slender**

 **Age: 11 and one half moons**

 **Rank: Medicine cat apprentice**

 **Family: Blueflame (mother) Nightriver (father) Duskpaw (sister) Riverpaw (sister)**

 **Personality: Relaxed, laid back, humorous. Talented at healing.**

 **Skills: Speed(excellent) Wit (great) Stamina (good) Hunting (okay) Fighting (bad)**

 **Any extra details?: He is a floof**

 **Name: Duskpaw**

 **Gender: Female**

 **Appearance: Very dark gray (almost black) With jet-black paws, streak down back, ears, and two thin tabby stripes, bright, intelligent eyes, tufted fur on her paws, and a long, whiplike tail.**

 **Body Type: Slender and lithe**

 **Age: 11 and one half moons**

 **Rank: Warrior's apprentice**

 **Family: Blueflame (Mother) Nightriver (Father) Featherpaw (Brother) Riverpaw (Sister)**

 **Personality: Bold, adventurous, kind, intelligent**

 **Skills: Wit (excellent) hunting (great) fighting (good) speed (okay) stamina (bad)**

 **Any extra details?: She is an OC of my best friend**

 **Name: Riverpaw**

 **Gender: Female**

 **Appearance: Fluffy silver she-cat with jet black tabby stripes, long, tall, tufted ears, and an incredibly fluffy tail that is almost as big as her, long fluff around the sides of her face, intense, sappire-blue eyes**

 **Body Type: Slender and lithe**

 **Age: 11 and one half moons**

 **Rank: Warrior's apprentice**

 **Family: Blueflame (mother) Nightriver (father) Duskpaw (sister) Featherpaw (brother)**

 **Personality: Short-tempered, overprotective, random, witty**

 **Skills: Wit (excellent) Fighting (great) hunting (good) speed (okay) stamina (bad)**

 **Any extra details?: She is my OC and a floof**

Smokepaw woke up to find himself alone in the Oak Hollow. A moon had passed since the Coldpaw incident, and leaf-fall was fully upon the clans. There was a quiet chill to the air and the leaves above thier heads were slowly morphing from bright green to red, orange, yellow, and brown.

The slices on his chest had turned into thin scars but his ears were still completely shredded. Smokepaw had begun to miss the sharp herb scents from the medicine den, but never truly commented on it.

He pushed out of the den. A strong breeze blew past, sending a shower of dead or dying leaves cascading to the ground. Duskpaw and Riverpaw were grooming each other in the corner of the hollow. He called out a greeting to them before vanishing into the forest.

Smokepaw made his way to his own StreamClan territory. With Leafbare approaching, Tangleflower needed all of the help she could get with herbs. He made his way to the Fern River and began to sink his teeth into some chickweed, which worked as a second-best to catmint.

Having packed a large clump between his teeth, he padded over to near the camp. He deposited the herbs in a small dip in the ground near the medicine den, where Tangleflower knew to check for it. With a smile, he headed back to the Oak Hollow.

* * *

Swiftpaw retreated into her shared den, feeling mentally and physically exhausted. As she progressed through her apprenticeship, training grew increasingly more difficult, and she was grateful for any free time or sleep she could get. She couldn't go to Smokepaw, as he was staying out of the territory.

She glossed over her options. Coalpaw? No, he would just flirt with her. Finchtail had become a warrior, and she wasn't close with Fallenpaw or Vixenpaw.

A chill spread in through the small gaps in the wall. Swiftpaw hastily curled into her mossy nest, but found herself tossing and turning, unable to sleep. She settled for staring at the stone ceiling above her head, alone with her thoughts in the middle of the night.

She surveyed the stones. A rosebush was slowly creeping up the outside roof of the den, obscuring her limited vision of the stars through the cracks in the ceiling.

She lay on her back, staring blankly up.

A particularly strong breeze shoved past, and one red rose floated gracefully down from the thorn tendrils, drifting around in midair before landing squarely on her chest.

She sighed, a smile creeping onto her face. She realised only now that her bright blue eyes were misty and the fur around them damp. There was no reason for this she could place, but it somehow comforted and soothed her stormy mind. Swiftpaw clutched the red rose to her chest with her front paws, and drifted off into a much-needed, dreamless, peaceful sleep.


	29. Chapter 29

**_I just realised that I've been accidentaly ignoring my smol bean Swiftpaw (Winks loudly at Branchpelt127)_**

Swiftpaw cracked open her blue eyes. She was on her back, a red rose clutched close to her chest, held in place by her tufted paws. She remembered suddenly that she had a free day today. She decided, after a few minutes of thinking, to visit her littermate.

The she-cat stood, sweeping the flower beneath her moss. She padded out of the den-it was past sunhigh- and made her way to the medicine den. "Tangleflower? May I go see Smokepaw?" She called.

"Of course." The muffled answer came from somewhere in the tunnel leading to the herb stores. She nodded and padded away, dipping her head to the senior warriors, before heading out of camp. Her paws landed heavily on the rotting leaves beneath her paws.

Eventually she reached the temporary camp that her brother was residing in. Two she-cats were sitting and laughing by the base of the oak tree in the center of the hollow. She didn't recognise them. Featherpaw had been alone when she went to fetch him.

"Hello?" Swiftpaw called to the she-cats. They looked up, and she was hit with a distinct feeling that she was greeting a leader, and that she was being fully analyzed, at the same time.

"Name?" The darker of the two stated. "Excuse me? She spluttered. "What is your name?" The silver cat echoed.

"Swiftpaw. I'm here to see my brother." She replied. "He's out." Answered the dark gray she-cat. Swiftpaw was growing irritated by thier short answers. "Who are you?" She said, a sharp edge to her voice.

The darker of the two looked up, as if the newcomer were simply bothering her, and nodded. "I am Duskpaw. This is my sister, Riverpaw."

They were also apprentices? She felt another spark of annoyance. How dare they hold her in such obvious disdain?

"In case you somehow haven't concluded the fact yet, we do not take well to newcomers." The silver tabby, Riverpaw, hissed. Swiftpaw disliked these she-cats already.

Just as she was about to say something, a smokey gray tomcat pushed through the bushes on the side of the clearing. Smokepaw clearly did not see her as he bounded over to the she-cats, who nuzzled him as he licked around thier ears. They were close, Swiftpaw decided.

"How was herb-gathering?" Duskpaw asked, a much warmer tone to her voice than when she had spoken to Swiftpaw. "Great!" The tomcat replied. "Tangleflower left out some minnows for me this time. She seems to have convinced herself that I'm being starved!"

Riverpaw rose a paw to her forehead dramatically. "Why, we would never starve _you,_ dear Smokepaw." She laughed. Smokepaw snorted, before looking around.

"Swiftpaw! I didn't see you there." He beckoned her over with his bushy tail. "I hope my friends have been very welcoming towards you?" He said, glancing over at the two skeptically. Swiftpaw almost commented, but the two wore such an all-too-innocent look she didn't attempt to.

In her short interaction with the two she-cats, Swiftpaw had formed a strong opinion of Duskpaw and Riverpaw. She didn't trust them in the slightest, and didn't understand how Smokepaw did.

"Of course. I'll have to catch some fish for you, since your current denmates don't know how to." She stated, feeling slightly victorious at her declaration of something the two were unable to do. "Don't worry. I taught them to swim and they figured it out for themselves." Her face fell slightly. Smokepaw had taught these two, who were clearly not to be trusted, how to swim and hunt like a StreamClan cat.

"They're not even StreamClan!" She objected. "We're half-StreamClan." Duskpaw corrected, a sly smile on her face. Swiftpaw bristled. "Anyway, I'm sure you should be getting back to your camp. It's nearly sundown." Riverpaw said.

"Goodbye, Swiftpaw." Smokepaw said, nuzzling her before she could reply. As he did, he whispered "Don't worry about them. They don't trust easily,".

Swiftpaw left, feeling unsatisfied.


	30. Chapter 30

_**IF YOU STAY UP UNTIL ABOUT FOUR O'CLOCK A.M. AND LISTEN VERY, VERY, VERRRRYYYYY CLOSELY YOU WILL HEAR THE SOUND OF ME SHRIEKING WITH ABSOLUTE HAPPINES BECAUSE WHAT IN THE WHAT WE'RE AT CHAPTER THIRTY. THANK YOU ALL YOU MOTIVATE ME TO KEEP WRITING YOU'RE ALL JUST THE BEST**_

 _ **I'VE NEVER ACTUALLY SEEN ANY OF YOU BUT I BET YOU'RE ALL REALLY BEAUTIFUL AND PERFECT AND HAVE REALLY PRETTY SMILES, LIKE THE KIND THAT MAKES EVERYONE AROUND YOU WANT TO SMILE TOO AND MAKES THE UNIVERSE HAPPY, THANK YOU FOR EXISTING. YOU'RE AMAZING**_

Smokepaw sat, lounging out in the forest clearing with his friends, staring up at the sky. Warm leaf-fall scents swirled around them. Smokepaw was growing used to the mild scents that were so unlike the sharp herb smells he was so used to.

"Hey, Smokepaw, what do you think will happen when we go back to our own clans? I'm so used to hanging out with you guys all day." Featherpaw asked, shattering the silence.

"Well, we'll just have to sneak out again. Just not be so loud this time." Smokepaw stated, as if that solved everything. Duskpaw chocked on her mouse. "What do you mean? We'll be on double security now, there's no way we'll be able to make it out without being caught by literally everyone."

Smokepaw took that swiftly into consideration. "I don't know." He turned around, climbing into the hollow. "I think I'll sleep on it. It's getting dark either way." Featherpaw followed.

Duskpaw and Riverpaw slept in the branches that night.

* * *

Smokepaw cracked open his eyes.

Ugh.

He was in _that_ clearing. He let out an elongated groaning noise that was much louder and more melodramatic than it should have been. Only then did he hear the rustling in the bushes.

"Blueflame, can I please just have one night of peace?" The voice came from his side as Featherpaw materilazed next to him. They stared at each other in shock until Duskpaw literally fell from the sky, shreiking "WHAT IN THE FOX-DUNGING PIECE OF-" Before hitting the ground.

Riverpaw erupted from the grass, chocking and spitting out dirt. "Um, might I ask what in StarClan is happening?" She said, shaking a root from her paw.

They looked over to see that Smokepaw was crouching down and hitting his head repeatedly on the ground. "No. Nope. I'm done. I am so done, in fact, that I am going to wake up right now." And so he tried. Nothing happened. He groaned loudly.

A blue she-cat appeared in a whirl of flames in front of them. "I agree with Smokepaw." Featherpaw said.

"Why, you all look so happy to see me." Blueflame said sarcastically. "Can't you see?" Shot back Duskpaw. "We're clearly just dripping with absolute joy."

Riverpaw was struggling desperately to go back into the hole she had come from, growing increasingly more irritated. Blueflame lunged at Featherpaw.

He leapt slowly to the side, dodging her blow with obvious ease. "I see that I've been bested by a kit." She said.

"None of us are kits." Duskpaw hissed.

"We are kits." The words were ripped from them.

Thier jaws were pried open and the meows wrenched from somewhere in their minds. They felt like poison as the words rolled over thier tounges and seeped out of thier teeth, bitter venom that corroded thier stances.

They gasped for breath, Featherpaw collapsing. "How dare you! Who do you think you are?" Duskpaw shrieked. Blueflame chuckled. "I think I'm your mother."

* * *

Duskpaw awoke, thrashing around in the branches she and Riverpaw had fallen asleep in, fury rising in her chest. She rose, her claws making deep slices in the oak bark, and leapt down.

 _I took note of the hatred in her eyes, and how disdainful she acted to these cats. To my cats!_ She growled internally. This will not be forgotten.

* * *

Riverpaw cracked open her eyes. She was laying on the grass beneath the oak tree- she must've fallen out during the night- and feeling like she had not slept at all.

* * *

The group gathered around the stump of the oak. "So you get that every night?" Smokepaw questioned. Duskpaw and Riverpaw nodded. "I believe this mean's you'll be joining us in our nightly meetings with Blueflame, so that solves the question of how we'll keep in contact." Duskpaw explained.

Duskpaw twiched her ear. Riverpaw flicked her tail and widened her eyes. Duskpaw squinted hers and gave a small nod. The two then began to loudly chant. " _One of us! One of us!"_

Smokepaw snorted. "Would you two mind not using your wierd silent language thing?" Featherpaw asked.

"Wait, wait, wait. I now have to deal with _her_... nightly?" Smokepaw gasped. With a nod from Duskpaw, he began to repeatedly hit his head on the tree. "No. Nope. Nah. No. Never. I'm done. Nope. NO."

Featherpaw chuckled. "May I point out that we, a group of young apprentices, are being visited every night from one of the most dangerous cats known to the four clans, and the youngest out of all of us is only mildly annoyed. This is a normal topic of conversation. This is our lives."

Duskpaw sighed contently. "I wouldn't have it any other way."


	31. Chapter 31

It was the middle of the night, and four apprentices were in Blueflame's clearing, or Star Hollow, as they had named it. After a few days, Smokepaw and Featherpaw learned that some nights the blue she-cat would simply not appear, leaving them to have thier fun in the clearing.

Featherpaw crouched, building up energy in his hind legs, before springing up.

He was lifted unnaturally high into the air with a swooshing sound, landing on one of the highest branches of one of the trees bordering Star Hollow. StarClan had odd gravity. Once a cat was in the air, they could float around and climb through the sky.

"Bet you I can go higher." Riverpaw called, immidiately leaping up. She landed on a branch one tail-length over her littermate's. Duskpaw was clinging to the bark of that same tree. She moved so that she was sideways, then began to leap from tree to tree with incredible speed.

Smokepaw laughed from where he was sitting, suspended in midair. He floated up to the two silver cats.

He was immidiately bowled over by a dark gray shape and fell from the branches. The apprentice caught himself and floated back up, where Duskpaw was now sitting on a branch.

The dark she-cat suddenly fell silent as a flock of birds flew by. She and her sister suddenly flew out, snagging two bluejays in thier jaws, and instantly pulled back with feathered prey in thier mouths.

"What's the point of that? We can't eat StarClan's prey." Smokepaw wondered out loud.

"Yes, but we can do this." Riverpaw purred. She then proceeded to tackle him, the bluejay still in her mouth, and pin him down. Duskpaw darted over to assist her. After a few minutes, Smokepaw had two blue feathers tucked behind his right ear.

"Two can play it that game." He laughed, tearing feathers from the jay. The two shrieked and pelted away. He tossed one to Featherpaw.

Eventually, they managed to get the feathers tucked to thier ears, but only after Featherpaw had some behind one of his.

Smokepaw let out a quite kit-like squeak as he felt a spark, then a cooling sensation coming from the feathers. He attempted to shake them off, but they seemed to be firmly attached.

"They're permanent." Duskpaw purred. "Just as long as you're in StarClan."

Before he could reply, he felt a numbness at his paws. He was waking up.

* * *

Smokepaw, if you asked him, would none-too-politely inform you, that he did _not_ wake up with Featherpaw asleep on top of him, with Riverpaw's tail (which is almost bigger than she is) laid firmly over his eyes, or shoved uncomfortably against the wall of the Oak Den.

And if you were to ask Duskpaw, she would none-too-politely inform you that she did _not_ wake up to the relaxing, peaceful sounds of 'suffocating StreamClan medicine cat apprentice', and did _not_ spend ten minutes laughing and watching him struggle.

Also, If you asked Featherpaw, he would politely inform you that he slept through the entire ordeal and had no idea that the warm, fluffy moss beneath him was actually his friend who was struggling not to have his ribcage crushed beneath his wieght.

Riverpaw was _totally, one-hundred-percent asleep the entire time, completely, with no idea whatsoever that she was chocking her friend._

"Wow. I have such great friends." Smokepaw said sarcastically. Featherpaw was out gathering herbs.

Riverpaw gasped. "You wound me, Smokepaw!"

"After all of these moons!" Duskpaw cried.

"We are simply the best friends possible."

"Honestly, who could ask for better?"

"We have hereby decreed that we are the best of friends, and you shall accept this immidiately." Riverpaw declared.

"Is that so?" He asked, a smirk tugging at his muzzle.

At that moment, there was a rustling in the bushes. The two she-cat's eyes lit up joyfully.

Two tomcats had made thier way into the clearing. One was a brown-and-white-tabby, and the other was grayish brown with black colorpoints. "Tabbyfat! Tigerfluff!" Duskpaw called. The two toms snorted and rolled thier eyes. "It's Tabbylight and Tigermask." Corrected Tabbylight, though his tone was joyful.

"Stop calling me Tigerfluff." The colorpointed tom, Tigermask, grunted as the two padded over.

"Okay, Tigerfluff."

"Who's this?" Tabbylight asked, gazing down at Smokepaw. "My name is Smokepaw. I'm from StreamClan. Who are you?"

The tabby blinked. "I'm Tabbylight, and this is my friend, Tigermask."

"No, he's Tigerfluff." Duskpaw corrected. Riverpaw nodded in agreement. Tigermask bent down and smacked his head on the ground. "Come visit your friends, he said. They'll be happy to see you, he said. They won't call you Tigerfluff, he said."

"Shut it, Tigerfluff." Tabblylight muttered, only to be bowled over by the colorpointed tom. "Shut it, Tabbyfat." Replied Tigermask.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Duskpaw and Riverpaw chanted.

"Anyway, we had to come visit you either way. Just to make sure you weren't dead yet." Tabbylight purred.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

"It appears that, sadly, you are indeed not dead." Tigermask snorted.

 _"Fight! Fight! Fight!"_ Smokepaw had now joined in.

"Tigerfluff means that it would be a shame to see our favorite apprentices go."

"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

"Gladly," Hissed Tigermask, leaping onto his best friend.


	32. Chapter 32

**IMPORTANT NOTE: In these clans, it is normal, if not tradition, to name kittens after those who assisted in kitting, or family friends. So far, every cat in both Tigermask and Redfeather's family lines have named kits this way. A bit of explaination.**

After only a few hours with the two tomcats, Smokepaw had learned two very important facts.

Number one: No cat has truly lived until they have heard Tigermask laugh.

Number two: Only Tabbylight and Tigermask's mate could make him laugh. (According to Duskpaw, at least.)

He had found this extremely important information when Featherpaw brought up the time Tabbylight had been caught face-down in the fresh pile after stuffing himself after his vigil when he became a warrior. Tigermask had a high, clear, lighthearted laugh. Tabbylight called it 'The Fluffy Laugh.' It was bubbly and joyful and was definately not the laugh any cat would expect from the silent, serious tom.

The tomcats were great company, and they planned to stay for two nights 'to make sure you dimwitted apprentices don't accidentally die or something,' as Tigermask put it.

That night, a beautiful dark russet she-cat with a darker streak down her back and enchanting hazel eyes made her way into the clearing. Her stomach was round, and Smokepaw and Featherpaw instantly knew why. "Redfeather!" The tomcats called, darting over. This was Tigermask's mate.

The group of apprentices followed, only to see that the she-cat's eyes were glazed over with pain and she was hunched over. She seemed breathless. "Tigermask... Tabbylight... gone all day... knew where you were... came to fetch you... kits are coming!" She gasped.

Tigermask shrieked. "What? Someone go fetch Cherryfeather! Get her into the den!"

Riverpaw and Duskpaw suddenly appeared to help Redfeather to get to the hollow. She made it into the den before collapsing into the moss. "StreamClan territory is closer, and I'm the only one who knows where Tangleflower is. I'll get back as fast as I can!" Smokepaw called, turning and running away.

His mangled leg slowed him greatly, but he eventually found Tangleflower, conveniently at the border. "Tangleflower! Follow me, quickly! There's a kitting queen at the Oak Hollow!"

* * *

Smokepaw sat outside of the den with Tabbylight, Duskpaw, and Riverpaw. Tangleflower and Featherpaw were inside, assisting Redfeather with her kitting.

It was well into moonhigh when Tangleflower poked her head out. "Her kits are alive and healthy. There's six. Please don't come in just yet, Redfeather's exhausted. She says you may all come in for the naming at Sunhigh tomorrow. For now, I'll be leaving."

* * *

The next day, the group crowded into the hollow. The kits were the tiniest, and most adorable things he had ever seen.

The first was a dark russet she-kit with darker colorpoints. The second was the exact image of Tigermask, but was a she-kit. Third was exactly like Redfeather, but a tomkit. Fourth was a warm brown tom with a black stripe down his back. Fifth, a she-kit, had the same appearance as the first. And the final sixth was a clouded russet tom.

"As custom for Tigermask and my families, these kits will be named for those who assisted with the birth, along with family friends."

Smokepaw's eyes widened. Did that mean-

"This first kit will be Tanglekit. The second, Duskkit. Third is Featherkit. Fourth will be Tabbykit. Fifth will be Riverkit. And sixth, Smokekit." Redfeather smiled.

There was a brief silence, before the den broke out into joyful thanks.

This was one of the happiest moments in Smokepaw's life.


	33. Chapter 33

The group of apprentices was out in the forest, hunting for the queen currently residing in the Oak Hollow. Riverpaw was gushing about how adorable and tiny the kits were, although she and Duskpaw both agreed that after about a moon they would be some trouble.

Tigermask, Tabbylight, Redfeather, and the kits would be staying in the hollow for the rest of the apprentice's temporary exile. The group of cats had eventually began to call themselves as to what Blueflame had begun to refer ro them as.

Smokepaw, Duskpaw, Riverpaw, and Duskpaw were the StarCatchers.

* * *

The kits, along with Duskpaw and Riverpaw, were asleep in the Oak Hollow while the others chatted outside. "So then, Tanglekit made _the single cutest noise I have ever heard in my entire life,"_ Tabbylight was explaining. The group burst out laughing as there was a rustling in the den.

"Fox-dung. We're dead." Featherpaw said quietly, eyes wide. "Language!" Scolded Redfeather. "No. You don't understand. They were alseep." He turned to Tigermask and shrieked. "You didn't tell them we were talking out here?!"

"No." Tigermask replied, bewildered. "Run! Run if you value your StarClan-forsaken lives!"

At that moment, two shapes appeared at the center of the den.

The two had thier fur laid flat back, clinging to thier slender forms, and thier eyes were narrowed dangerously. " _You woke us up."_ They hissed quietly in perfect unison.

At that, thier appearances changed drastically. Thier eyes were stretched wide and pupils small, thier entire bodies bushed out, teeth bared and making loud growls as the two advenced.

"Why do they appear to have gone feral?" Smokepaw whispered. Featherpaw didn't get a chance to answer as Riverpaw's gaze locked solidly onto him and she lunged. Duskpaw followed suit and Smokepaw found himself being flung across the clearing by a furious, sleep-deprived she-cat.

"ImsorryImsorryImsorryImsorry!" He rambled, backing up as the apprentice advanced. "You're not supposed to wake them up in the middle of the night!" Featherpaw wailed as he was chased by his littermate around the clearing. "We didn't know that!" Tabbylight cried, pelting after Duskpaw to try to restrain her as Tigermask did the same for Riverpaw.

In the middle of this, Redfeather was sitting in the center of the hollow, completely calm. She took in a breath, then began to hum a quiet, simple song. The two instantly relaxed, before collapsing into sleep at the paws of who they were chasing. "Did I ever mention that Tigerfluff, Tabbyfat and I basically raised them? I know exactly how to get them to sleep. Now, everyone off to bed."


	34. Chapter 34

**Tigermask: Hmmm... Honestly, this is taking a while. It seems that 8Silver-Storm8 has vanished!**

 **Featherpaw: Really?**

 **Duskpaw: Yeah, haven't seen them in a week or two.**

 **Riverpaw: Maybe they're dead.**

 **Tabbylight: *Snorts* A bit of a stretch, don't you think?**

 **Redfeather: So they just... disappeared? Like that?**

 **Duskpaw: I guess you could say that.**

 **Riverpaw: Hey, has anyone seen Smokepaw?**

* * *

 **LATER**

 **Smokepaw: I'm back from gathering herbs. What are you guys talking about?**

 **Featherpaw: The author, 8Silver-Storm8. She's just... gone.**

 **Smokepaw: 8Silver-Storm8? Oh yeah, I know where they are.**

 **Tabbylight: (LOUDLY SPITS OUT PREY)**

 **Tigermask: You do?**

 **Smokepaw: Yeah. Tangleflower says that they're** **currently stuck in the medicine den. They have something called 'writer's block'.**

 **Duskpaw: They said they had the entire story planned out, though.**

 **Smokepaw: That's true. They say that they hadn't even started the next chapter yet. But they did say some things.**

 **Redfeather: What sort of things?**

 **Smokepaw: They wanted someone called 'Fearing The Inevitable' to know that they could totally draw me if they wanted to, and that they were flattered by the request.**

 **Riverpaw: Anything else?**

 **Smokepaw: And that they were sorry for keeping people waiting for so long.**

 **Tabbylight: That's all?**

 **Smokepaw: I believe so.**


	35. Chapter 35

**SCREAMS i am so sorry for leaving you guys so long without an update. To make up for it, I have started something new. In a review, list two cats. I will tell you what those two cat's kits would look like :)**

Smokepaw was curled up outside of the Oak Den, pressed against the rest of the StarCatchers as they relaxed in the gaps between the twisted and gnarled roots. Featherpaw was leaning on him, his eyes half-lidded. Duskpaw and Riverpaw were curled up together, Duskpaw resting her head on her littermate's as she lapped softly at her pelt.

The night sky was particularly stunning tonight. Jet black with tiny, brightened splatters of shining white decorated the sky above them. The quarter moon, a glowing claw-slice in the center of the sky, tinted thier pelt silver and white. The river murmured gently in the distance.

Soon they drifted into a deep sleep- but little did they know, this night's rest would be one that would change thier lives as StarCatchers, and as Clan cats, forever.


	36. Chapter 36

**Im back**

 **ON ANOTHER NOTE- I am strongly tempted to write a songfic about Swiftpaw, Duskpaw, and Riverpaw with the song 'Loathing' from Wicked. Should I? Aside from that, I've started a new story called Desk Job.**

 **Fearing the Inevitable: I couldn't find your account. Do you have a deviantArt by any chance?**

 **Guest: I don't think you understand, I meant two characters in the story.**

 **Note: Swiftpaw may be a bit OOC in this chapter.**

 **HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I'm thankful for all of you guys.**

Smokepaw cracked open his eyes and found himself in complete darkness. "Guys?" He called. There was a sound of shuffling pawsteps and a grunt. "We're here." Replied Duskpaw.

They looked around, confused.

 _"A drifting feather, swirled by smoke,_

 _A river at dusk, now provoked_

 _Four separate stars, mentored by one_

 _United where there is no sun_

 _At last the joining of thier paths_

 _Is realized by scars seen in past"_

Smokepaw jolted awake. "Emergency StarCatcher meeting, by the stream, RIGHT NOW!" Duskpaw commanded, bounding past him with an energy he had never seen in the she-cat. Riverpaw was following; She paused next to him and fixed him with an intense blue stare before she bounded after her sister.

* * *

"We're going to be in a lot of danger. From now on, Smokepaw and Featherpaw will be learning battle moves daily." Duskpaw ordered.

* * *

Leaf-bare had descended fully upon the clans. Smokepaw only had one and one half moon left of temporary exile.

Swiftpaw was on another day off, and decided to visit her brother. And just her luck- it was the two she-cats from before in the center of the temporary camp, from what she could hear. Her view of them was obscured by the leaves of the bushed she was crouched in.

Swiftpaw stepped forward again, fluffing out her pelt in the biting air. "Smokekit, get off of your littermates! Tabbykit-" This last statement was cut off by a loud burst of laughter. _Smokekit?!_ Swiftpaw nearly shreiked. _What in the name of StarClan-_ The she-cat pushed her head out a slight bit more to see the two apprentices, alone in the camp... playing with kittens.

The eyes of the kits were bright, and so were the eyes of the two apprentices. The two were having a mock-battle with the kits watching intently. "Now kits, as you can see, this battle between Riverpaw and Duskpaw will not end for a very long time, given that they are pretty much the same cat." Smokepaw announced, walking out of the bushes as he was followed by Featherpaw. There was a squirrel clamped in his jaws.

The kits darted over joyfully, swarming around his paws as he chuckled. The tom dropped his prey by the others as they meowed their greetings. Duskpaw licked the top of his head while Riverpaw nuzzled his ears. Smokepaw purred, pressing his nose to both of thier foreheads.

At this point, Swiftpaw exited the bush. "Hey Smokepaw!" She called, padding over to them. The tom's eyes lit up. "Swiftpaw!" He purred. The white she-cat didn't miss the distaste on the faces of the other apprentices. "Kits, huh?" She asked, arching a cat-eyebrow and flicking her gaze to the other two apprentices.

If Smokepaw was eating anything, he would've spit it out. Before he could answer, however, Riverpaw cut in. "Before Swiftpaw forgets that her brother is a medicine cat and that he is from a seperate clan then us, who wants to play Tails?" She asked the kits. They bursted into excited squeaks.

The two she-cats scaled up the tree as Swiftpaw watched, frusterated. They rested on a low-hanging branch and allowed thier tails to hang at the sides. "Whoever jumps up and climbs up our tails first wins. Three... Two... One... Go!"

The kits instantly began jumping up and mewling loudly. Smokepaw chuckled quietly. "Duskpaw and Riverpaw's friends came over and had kits while they were here. Meet Featherkit, Duskkit, Riverkit, Smokekit, Tanglekit, and Tabbykit."

"And Tanglekit wins this round!" Called Duskpaw, leaping down from the tree with the kit hanging by her scruff in her mouth. She set the kit down gently, smiling. Another kit groaned loudly, Tabbykit, "No fair! Riverpaw's tail is too fluffy, it's impossible to climb."

Riverpaw laughed, brushing the kit with her fluffy tail.

"Pop quiz! Smokepaw, demonstrate an upright lock on Riverpaw." Ordered Duskpaw. The tom nodded, rearing up on his hind legs and crashing down onto the she-cat. She met this easily with her own move and found them wrestling on the ground. He pinned her to the ground to be greeted with an exposive kick from Riverpaw, sending him sprawling.

He leapt up, charging her and leaping beneath her at the last second before surging up and throwing her off from below. She shreiked and hit the side of his face a few times, backing him into a corner. He growled and lunged at her, which she easily dodged. The silver she-cat delivered a swift back kick, winding him, before nipping his scruff gently.

"You win. Again." He chuckled lightly, standing up. "Good move, diving under me and jumping up like that. It was a closer match than usual." Riverpaw paused from sitting and grooming an unruly patch of fur on her shoulder to reply.

Swiftpaw stared in shock. "What just happened?"

Smokepaw purred. "I've been training in battle. We decided to try it out after the Coldpaw incedent." He explained, lying easily to the other apprentice.

Swiftpaw quietly worked her claws into the soil. These she-cats... "Duskpaw, Riverpaw, you are aware that you don't control everything you see?" She knew this would backfire, she knew she was upset over nothing, and she _knew_ she was staring an argument over literally nothing. She didn't care.

"Of course we're aware. Just because we suggested one thing doesn't put us higher than anyone else."

"You sure do act like it."

"How exactly would you know what we act like? We've met about two times."

"I can tell."

"It's clearly the only thing you're smart enough to comprehend with your tiny little brain."

"While I admit battle training is a good idea, do you have to control every aspect to the point of pop-quizzes?"

"Yes, in fact, we do. As you obviously don't understand, being untrained means life or death out here. At least you have a clan of cats to protect you if you screw up. It's only us out here."

Swiftpaw was already furious, but she knew that the others were right. It was perfectly logical to keep him trained, but her pride would never allow her to admit that. She knew that she was just looking for something to find to be angry at the two she didn't trust.

But she was so worked up she didn't care. Swiftpaw snapped.

She cried out her worst insult. It was a low blow, even if she was battling her newfound enemies, and she realised it as soon as the words left her mouth.

What had overtaken her?

"You wouldn't know very much about having a clan protecting you, would you, you idiotic half-breeds!"

Duskpaw and Riverpaw shrunk back. She tried to find words to apologise, but couldn't. She looked down at her paws for a few heartbeats, and when she looked up, she was horrified.

Smokepaw, her own littermate, was glaring at her with a fury to rival that of LionClan. Four new cats had appeared- she hadn't noticed them sneaking in while she was arguing- but two of them, a colorpointed tom and a russet she-cat, were curled around the two she had insulted. A silver tom and a brown and white tom were staring at her with glares identical to Smokepaw's.

"Get out." Ordered the colorpointed tom.

"Wait- I'm so sorry- I-" She stuttered.

Smokepaw met her gaze furiously. "You heard him, Swiftpaw. Get out."

The she-cat turned tail and fled.


	37. Chapter 37

**TIME TO ANSWER SOME REVIEWS! 🐱**

 **Rainstorm of ShadowClan: Thank!**

 **Inevitable: HAHAHA true. Sorry I can't find the drawing, by the way :(**

 **Guest: (Featherpaw X Swiftpaw) That's a pairing I've never seen before! Intresting, though. I'd say three kits. One white with silver patches, one plain white, and one white with silver toes/paws. This is mostly because Swiftpaw is dominant white and Featherpaw, as a silver tabby, also carries white on him. I'm getting most of these genetics from an online guide, so please pardon if I'm incorrect.**

 **The Willow of Ancient Souls: Ah thank you! I'm not exactly comfortable sharing, though.**

Swiftpaw crumpled into her nest, guilt weighing down on her. It was only a few minutes past dusk, but she drifted into sleep.

She cracked open her sky-blue eyes and found herself in a clearing bordered by oak trees. A blue she-cat was staring her down from across the hollow. "Swiftpaw. One of my trainee's littermates... I've been wanting to meet you for a very long time. It seems that now I have a reason to. Insult my kits, didn't you?" She snarled.

Swiftpaw shrank back, adopting a defensive stance. The she-cat growled and lunged at the apprentice.

Swiftpaw shrieked and kicked up at the she-cat who was pinning her down, striking up with her front paws blindly. The blue cat leapt up, hissing. Swiftpaw arched her back.

"Blueflame! Stop. Now." The order was barked from the other side of the clearing. The she-cats looked up to see four cats: Duskpaw, Riverpaw, Featherpaw, and Smokepaw. Duskpaw was standing at the head of the group, tail raised in the air and standing straight, reinforcing her air of leadership.

Blueflame snorted and rolled her eyes. She casually lifted a paw and Swiftpaw was lifted into the air. She shrieked and thrashed around. "Put her down!" Riverpaw yowled from across the clearing. Blueflame smirked and released her- and the she-cat was now falling the tree-lengths to the ground. She closed her eyes, bracing for impact, but it never came.

She looked up to see Smokepaw, one paw raised, suspending her a mouse-length over the ground. She stared in shock as he set her gently on the ground.

There were a few differences in these cats- for one, thier eyes were blazing, literally. Thier eyes glowed like flames and a smokelike substance was drifting out from around them. They all had jay's feathers tucked behind thier ears and there was fire matching thier eye color at thier paws. Smokepaw's leg was healed and his ears were no longer shredded.

Swiftpaw was staring and she knew it. She didn't care. She tried to form a word in her mind to describe the cats in front of her. Powerful. Graceful. Majestic? Imposing. Impressive. She settled for mystical.

The four cats growled and spat at Blueflame. She shot them a malicious grin and dissapeared.

* * *

Smokepaw was in the oak clearing, laughing and talking with his friends. Icefang and Jayfall were visiting. They had brought Oaktail, but Smokepaw didn't know where he was. Duskpaw and Riverpaw had vanished as well. "I'll be right back." Smokepaw said, slinking away in hopes of finding the three.

After a few minutes of wandering, he heard something. He pricked his shredded ears, listening. Yelling. His face twisted into an expression of confusion. "She's been off her training for four days and it's entirely your fault!" He heard the gruff voice. He broke into a sprint as the scent of fear hit him. The fear of Duskpaw and Riverpaw.

He was running without realising it, muscles he didn't even know he had working beneath his pelt. His mangled leg was doing little to slow him down. The fear-scent was growing thicker and the yelling clearer. "How did a couple of weak little apprentices like you reduce my most hardworking apprentice into a kit?! Oh, don't like that word, do you? Weak! Weak! _Weak!"_ Smokepaw felt fury rising inside of him.

Smokepaw slowed, crouching into a bush and gazing at the scene. His two friends were crouching, paralyzing guilt and fear evident in thier eyes. Oaktail was looming over them, short tail up in the air.

Smokepaw shook with rage, stepping out of the bushes. He slunk over to the warrior, who had yet to notice him, and cuffed him roughly over the side of his head. "Shut it!" He barked, glaring at the older tom. He sunk his claws into the ground.

He raised and unsheathed paw and pressed it down on Oaktail until he was crouching himself. Smokepaw rested his paw on top of the warrior's head. "Now," He said cooly, adopting a collected tone to his voice, "Apologise to my friends or I will make you regret it."

Oaktail growled out a reluctant apology, stalking out of the clearing.

* * *

The two she-cats had never seen thier friend so furious.

While they crouched, too terrified by the massive, imposing warrior to move, Smokepaw had padded in, fur fluffed out and ears pressed so hard against his head it appeared he had none. His eyes were wide and pupils dialated, his lips curled back so that his sharp white teeth glinted in the sunlight as he worked his long claws into the soil. His jaws had been parted ever-so-slightly and a snarl rumbled in his throat.

Thier friend had smacked the older tom to the ground and pressed his unsheathed paw to Oaktail's head so hard that tiny beads of scarlet appeared where his claws met fur. He had forced him to apologise, which Oaktail had (reluctantly) done.

They padded to temporary camp in silence, the two she-cat's ears back and tails dragging while Smokepaw tore clumps of grass from the ground where ever he padded. Just before they reached camp, they turned.

"Smokepaw?"

His ears perked up, and hearing his friend's voice, his forest green gaze shifted from the ground to his friends.

"Thank you, so much."


	38. Chapter 38

**Cookie: I agree. I don't know... I feel like this story was much better when I first started out. I'm hoping I'll be able to return to my original style when Smokepaw comes back to StreamClan. One of the reasons for my strange update scedule is that I don't want to put out a chapter that myself and other people are dissapointed in. I miss my old style, and I wish that I could go back to it. I dont know. Help?**

 **Hazeldapple: (Smokepaw x Emberkit [should be Emberpaw by now]) Hmm... two kits, one white with calico paws and one calico smoke. (smoke is actually a pattern. Smokepaw is a gray smoke, look it up, they're actually beautiful cats. They have hairs that are white at the very root and slowly fade into a darker color.)**

 **Guest: (Smokepaw x Riverpaw / Tigermask x Tabbylight) For Smoke and River, I guess four kits. Two silver smoke, one gray tabby, and one silver tabby. For Tiger and Tabby I would say one kitten, fully brown tabby with darker paws.**

 **I'm sorry for this chapter, it feels really rushed to me, idk, its probably my least favorite so far**

A black she-cat with red flecks on her face and a very pale silver tabby she-cat with odd-eyes padded through the forest. They detected their friends' scent and chased after it. Three of the cats in the clearing turned to them as they broke through the bushes.

"Applepaw? Hazelpaw?" Asked Duskpaw.

The two she-cats darted over to thier friends, whispering something in thier ears. Smokepaw looked up from his minnows, confused.

Duskpaw and Riverpaw said something to the other cats- all except for him. "Er, Smokepaw?" Duskpaw asked.

"Yeah?" He replied.

"Falconstar is letting us go home early. As much as we don't want to leave you here, we have to. It's important." Smokepaw, even through his shock, could not deny the urgency in her voice. "Sure. Go on. I'll ask Tangleflower if I can just hang around Cherry Hill."

With a few nuzzles and depressed goodbyes, Smokepaw barley noticed the haunted look in his friend's eyes.

* * *

Smokepaw made his way up to Tangleflower as she gathered herbs. "Hi." He said, announcing his prescence. She looked up, her face lighting. "Smokepaw! How are you?"

He ignored her question. "The others had to go home. Could I-" His question was cut off as Tangleflower nodded and bolted into camp. Alarmed, his gaze flicked around and he crouched, tail under his legs.

After a few minutes of panicked confusion, Tangleflower appeared again. "I convinced Shellstar to end your punishment early. Welcome back to StreamClan."

* * *

After a few days, Smokepaw had finally settled back into clan life. He had reunited with his friends, met Emberpaw with her new name, and greeted Pigeonpaw, a young loner who had joined the clan only days after he left. Honeystripe had kitted- Darkkit, Sandkit, and Mistkit reminded him so much of his friends' kits- and Smokepaw had figured out exactly why the others had returned early.

Tensions were running high with BirchClan after they accused StreamClan of prey-stealing. Smokepaw was certain there would be a battle soon.

Smokepaw was absentmindedly wrapping Tallears's paw in cobwebs after he twisted it while swimming.

After completing this small task, he began a conversation with Tangleflower as they sorted herbs. They looked up as there was a rustling at the entrance of the den.

"Featherpaw? Cherryfeather?" Questioned Tangleflower as the two padded in. They had grave looks plastered on thier faces. Featherpaw was repeating something under his breath as Cherryfeather looked away. "What?" Smokepaw asked.

That was when they heard it.

"I'm so sorry." Featherpaw said, louder this time.

The battle yowls started in the clearing.


	39. Chapter 39

Duskpaw and Riverpaw were fighting like lionesses.

Screeching. Yowling. Hissing.

They were mirroring each other's blows perfectly, slashing at the same time, never focusing on the same opponent for too long- clawing the muzzle of a tom attacking thier denmates, knocking the legs of a furious apprentice out from under him, ganging up on warriors twice thier size.

Screeching. Yowling. Hissing.

They tried to ignore the gnawing guilt at the backs of thier minds that they were attacking their best friend's clanmates. The two deliberately avoided attacking cats they recognised from when they visited their ex-denmate.

Screeching. Yowling. Hissing.

They spotted thier friend through the wrestling cats, and could only pray that he saw the apology in thier eyes. They toppled over a smaller gray tabby- Jayfall- and tried thier best not to wound him.

Screeching. Yowling. Hissing.

Hearing a pained shriek, they slashed the muzzle of a longhaired brown and white tabby as he avanced on Hazelpaw and Applepaw. The two barely ran off before facing another warrior.

Screeching. Yowling. Hissing.

They continued with the battle. They attacked blindly, and after a few minutes they found themselves sparring with none other than Swiftpaw. The white she-cat had a bleeding cut over her muzzle and a torn front leg. They wrestled into the center of the clearing. After a a few minutes, they noticed that the noises had died out- but it still rang in thier ears.

Screeching. Yowling. Hissing.

The two halted, Duskpaw and Riverpaw with Swiftpaw pinned, panting. "Go on!" A scratchy voice rang out from the side. Falconstar. "Kill her! Prove yourself!"

Screeching. Yowling. Hissing.

They halted. Fear danced in the white she-cat's eyes. They sat for what felt like moons. The cats of either clan formed a ring around them. StreamClan could scarcely move out of fear thier apprentice would die, even the youngest apprentices crouched back in horror. After another stretch of time, they realised they were shaking, even their fur trembling. "No." Riverpaw whispered, stepping off of her wounded opponent. "No!" Duskpaw shouted, she too stepping away as Swiftpaw twisted into a standing position, the fluffy white she-cat ignoring her wounds as she bolted to rejoin her clan.

Screeching. Yowling. Hissing.

The two spoke to each other in hushed voices, a brief converstation held under the penetrating gazes of the half-watchful, half-scornful clans. "We're leaving. We will not join the tyrant known as Falconstar. As he clearly does not understand, there is a difference between fear and respect, and we will not stand by a clan ruled by fear. We will not stand by a clan that accepts breaking the warrior code." Duskpaw announced, her voice ringing out clearly and strongly in the midst of the chaos as she regained control of their attention swiftly and efficiently.

Screeching. Yowling. Hissing.

The noises rose up and flooded the camp. The littermates twined thier tails and started for the entrance of camp, ignoring the jeers and scattered protests. "WAIT!" Shellstar yowled. They turned. Swiftpaw was standing by the leader, paw raised as if she had just whispered something to him.

Screeching. Yowling. Hissing.

"No leader has made this offer to an ex-member of a rival clan in seasons, but you two have earned it. You two were loyal to BirchClan when you lived there, and you were intelligent enough to regognise tyrany and act on your findings. Would you find yourselves able to be loyal to StreamClan?"

Screeching. Yowling. Hissing.

The two she-cats shared a meaningful gaze. They were barely considering it for a heartbeat before repyling. "Yes." They responded in perfect unison. Shellstar smiled warmly. "Then come join us."

Screeching. Yowling. Hissing.

As the two padded over, there was a break in the crowd. A gray-tabby shape hurtled towards them and bowled to two over, pinning his ex-clanmates to the ground between his massive paws.

Screeching. Yowling. Hissing.

He raised his enourmous paw, and with two strikes, the screeching, the yowling, and hissing grew so loud that Duskpaw and Riverpaw welcomed the wave of darkness that crashed over them.

And then, the sweet sound of silence.


	40. Chapter 40

**AAAAAAAAAAAAA IM SO SORRY FOR LEAVING SO LONG WITHOUT AN UPDATE theres literally no excuse im so sorry ;-; so here's a** **road trip AU:**

 **Duskpaw drives and is responsible af, occasionally slowing down to stare at a stray cat or dog and cracking the funniest jokes on the face of planet earth, and is similtaniously the most wise and hilarious person EVER**

 **Riverpaw sits next to her, nearly jumping out of the moving vehicle every time she sees an animal and occasionally makes Smokepaw pass almost all of the snacks to her while BLASTING HAMILTON**

 **Smokepaw sits behind Duskpaw and takes pictures of animals and plants, passes out snacks, and yells every time he sees a squirrel**

 **Swiftpaw sits next to Smokepaw, behind Riverpaw, and smiles whenever she sees an animal, but also reminds people that hotels exist and _No Smokepaw, we can't sleep in the car_**

Smokepaw was staring in shock at Duskpaw and Riverpaw as they made thier way to StreamClan. His eyes widened in terror and he shrieked- a high-pitched noise only amplified by the fact that many cats, including his family, were unaware Smokepaw could make such a sound- so loudly a few cats around him winced as the gray shape from BirchClan slashed at the two.

He lunged forward desperately, only to feel teeth clamp around his tail as he was forcefully yanked back into the crowd by his mentor.

"BirchClan, retreat!" Yowled Falconstar before his warrior could be punished for attacking the two she-cats. They fled the camp in heartbeats.

The near silence in the camp pressed in on the smokey apprentice. After the roaring shrieks of battle, the quiet hung around the battered clan like the peaceful mist that often followed a torrential storm.

The camp could only reflect the state of the clan. Deep scuffs were in the sandy ground and there were crimson splatters across the clearing, staining the odd clay-stones that formed the walls. Tufts of multicolored fur littered the ground.

There was one limp shape off to the corner of his vision. There was no gentle rise-and-fall of this cat's sides. Her usually bright eyes were dull and her mouth gaped widely, tortoiseshell fur stained darkly with blood. _Blazeheart._

Smokepaw felt incredibly small in the clearing that suddenly seemed hollow and cold. His green gaze flicked around, his hope dimming with every passing glance as he scanned the camp.

Smokepaw turned to his mentor, who met his gaze evenly. "Help them." She ordered. It was such a vauge command, and yet the apprentice understood exactly what she meant. Smokepaw bounded over to the limp, bloody scraps of fur that were Duskpaw and Riverpaw.

He slowed down the final few steps, eyes widening as he hid his bushy tail between his hind legs. His breath caught in his throat. He felt as if the air had been sucked from his lungs. The apprentice worked his claws into the ground. Smokepaw stared down at his wounded friends with absolute horror.

Duskpaw had two slices, one thinner than the other, across the front of her neck. It did not appear fatal, but would definitely scar. Riverpaw had a bloody gash across the left side of her face. Another scar.

They had a few more minor injuries- A few nicks in thier ears, single thin slices in other parts of thier bodies- but Smokepaw ignored those as he went to work of thier major wounds.

"Coalpaw!" He called, the barely-injured black apprentice padding over at the call. He had only received some slashed ears, which had ceased bleeding a few minutes before. "Help me carry these two to the medicine den. Watch how I do it, you don't want to make the bleeding worse."

He slipped under Duskpaw's stomach until she was perfectly aligned atop of him, and stood, carrying her limp body on his back. Coalpaw followed suit with Riverpaw.

Smokepaw watched the younger tom struggle to lift the lithe she-cat and realised with a jolt that he himself was quite large for his age- Smokepaw was just shorter than Tangleflower at this point and still growing.

After a few minutes the two were in the den. "Go to Tangleflower for those ears." Smokepaw instructed, motioning with his bushy tail to the entrance of the den as he prepared his friend's herbs.

Smokepaw was working in a whirlwind of herbs. Cobwebs, broom, goldenrod, marigold, oak leaves, and tormentil were all applied swiftly to the wounds. He added some catchweed to prevent the mixture from rubbing away. He also set aside some poppy seeds for pain relief and burnet for strength for when the two woke up, then lined thier nests with dock and burdock root.

After tending to those wounds best he could, he met Tangleflower near the den entrance and fetched her some extra herbs.

After a few hours, nealry every cat in camp had cobwebs somewhere on thier pelts. The medicine den was certainly not empty- Wildfern, Ashweb, Tallear, Pigeonpaw, Oaktail, Duskpaw, And Riverpaw were all staying for a few sunrises at the very least.

Smokepaw was grooming herbs and twigs out of his pelt when he heard shifting in the corner of the den. His shredded ears swiveled towards the sound. Duskpaw cracked her sharp blue eyes open, followed almost immidiately by Riverpaw.

Duskpaw's eyes were like chips of ice against her shadowed pelt while her littermate's gaze scanned the den, taking in her surroundings expertly.

"You're awake!" Smokepaw whispered, keeping his voice low as he limped over and pushed the poppy seeds and burnet towards them.

"Where are we?" Duskpaw croaked, her wounded neck making it difficult to speak as she forced the words up and out of her throat.

"Medicine den. Who was that tom that attacked you?"

"Why do you need to know that?" Asked Riverpaw, though her voice was soft as she met his gaze with the side of her face not covered by leaves.

"Based on what I've learned from Tangleflower's lessons and Blueflame's 'training', I know exaclty where to claw him so that he doesn't leave the BirchClan medicine den for moons. I have a plan." He hissed, leaf-green eyes narrowed.

The two chuckled softly. Pigeonpaw, a gray tom with black dashes in featherlike patterns across his pelt, limped over. He laid down, curling his long tail around his paws. "Am I intruding? Oh, I'm so sorry- I-" He stuttered after a few seconds of comfortable silence.

The tom, although just as old as Duskpaw and Riverpaw, was still quiet and shy, although his confidence had improved slightly since he joined StreamClan. "You're not. It's fine." Duskpaw said, laying her thin tail over his shoulders, careful not to run it over the gaping slash on his back leg.

Darker, more hostile green eyes cracked open from the other side of the den. "Hush, would you? Some cats are trying to sleep." Oaktail snarled, teeth bared in the dim light.

Smokepaw stood in front of the others, bristling slightly and arching his tail, curling it threateningly over his spine before slapping it onto the ground.

"Go back to sleep, Oaktail." Smokepaw hissed, but his tone and expression said only 'Mine. Touch and I break your legs.' Oaktail snorted, shifting in his nest and closing his eyes. There was silence in the den except for the sounds of soft breathing and the river murmuring gently from the other end of the territory.

They shuffled around in the dimly-lit den. It was a new moon and light was only provided by fireflies swirling outside. "Who wants food?" Asked Smokepaw.

"It's leaf-bare!" Cried Duskpaw in a hushed tone, her voice shaky. "We have enough. Prey is pretty much infinite unless the river freezes over." Smokepaw informed. "I'll be right back."

He padded into the clearing, puffing his smokey pelt out in the frigid leaf-bare air. His teeth chattered slightly as he worked his claws in the frozen soil.

This year, he had learned that his mauled lag would ache in the cold. It certainly wasn't a comfortable season for the tom.

He picked up a carp, still fairly warm despite the biting cold, and brought it back to the den. Pigeonpaw was alseep, flopped over with his paws splayed out in a nearly comical position. They shared the carp, purring and chatting the whole time.

Tangleflower, who had been unable to drift off to sleep from pure stress, watched them with a smirk. Duskpaw and Riverpaw would fit into StreamClan perfectly well, she was sure of it.


	41. Chapter 41

**OK SO THIS STORY IS A YEAR OLD? IM VERY SHOOK AND THANK YOU ALL FOR STAYING WITH THIS WEIRD THING FOR A YEAR EVEN WHEN I FORGET TO UPDATE FOR MONTHS ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ YOURE ALL AMAZING**

 **I-really-hope-not: Thanks!**

 **Guest: I won't be stopping this story until it's over, and even then, I have ideas for a second story in StreamClan ;)**

Duskpaw shifted uneasily in her sleep.

Tonight she was not visiting Blueflame. No, tonight she was dealing with another kind of nightmare.

Vivid images flashed through her mind. In the waking world, she gritted her teeth and sunk her polished white claws into the cool soil around her nest. In her mind, she envisioned the scene just before she and Riverpaw had left their former clan.

Duskpaw thrashed in her nest as she recalled Swiftpaw's terrified face below her. Her dark blue eyes were round as moons with her pupils so small they were nearly invisible. Her mouth had blood dribbling out of the corner as she was pinned with her jaw clenched in horror. There was a slash over her nose, with the crimson standing out strikingly against her snowy face.

" _Kill her!"_ A shrill voice demanded from the side. The leader's voice stabbed into her chest like splinters of shattered ice, leaving her entirely breathless and with a razor-sharp pain in her heart.

This was her task.

This was her horrid, disgusting, abominable task.

Duskpaw was being ordered to ensure this innocent cat died at her paws. The she-cat below her would never run or jump or laugh again. She'd never get her warrior name, or settle down with a mate and kits. And how she knew Swiftpaw had been so excited for those things- Smokepaw had told her himself.

Her parents would lose their kitten. Smokepaw, his littermate. Coalpaw, Finchtail, and many other cats Duskpaw wasn't sure she'd met or ever would meet would lose a friend.

She realized, then, that she was not only ending a life- she was preventing countless others from beginning.

If Swiftpaw lived, she could change countless other lives, and then if she chose to have kits, those lives would effect others, and the pattern would go on, like a ripple spreading across a still pond.

Maybe, many seasons later, when their current clan's great-great-great-grandkits were elders, telling stories to their own great-grandkits, Swiftpaw would be forgotten and brushed over with the gradual passage of time- the same small droplet that rippled in the still pond would be flung off of the side of a waterfall and discarded.

All of those droplets became even more ice shards, raking Duskpaw along the length of her spine.

But here, now, Swiftpaw was a living, breathing cat. A cat who could have such a strong impact on the clans, and yet she might never be able to if Duskpaw did as she was told.

What would Swiftpaw do, had the situations been flipped and it was the white she-cat with Duskpaw and Riverpaw pinned? Would Swiftpaw refuse, or kill the two without second thought?

After all, they were both still cats. Did they not both have others they loved and others that loved them? Did the sun not warm both of their pelts? Did they both not bleed the same red blood?

The questions were silenced abruptly as another thought flashed through Duskpaw's mind, of what would happen if she did kill Swiftpaw.

Swiftpaw would be nothing but a cold body and a painful memory, watching down from StarClan as her family went about thier lives, unable to contact them, forced to watch as her clanmates grew older with the passage of seasons while she remained the exact same for all of time.

The ice grew sharper.

Tendrils of black, inky darkness snatched at the corners of Duskpaw's mind, whispering to her in shrill voices that it was her fate, her duty as a warrior's apprentice in BirchClan to murder Swiftpaw.

But she couldn't. She'd never be able to.

The realization struck her like a physical blow as she felt bile rise in the back of her throat. She couldn't do it. This was all she'd ever been trained for, but faced with the discision, she couldn't.

The scene fell away around her, leaving her in a void of blackness.

Her realizations swirled around her in a hurricane of terror, swarming around her like a fierce storm. Thoughts clawed hungrily at her pelt and her paws were weighed down by thousands of stones. Duskpaw wanted to scream, but the noise was trapped in her chest.

She gagged on her own thoughts, curling into herself slightly as she heaved, her tail curled at her side.

She felt as though she were drowning, the air knocked from her lungs as she thrashed beneath dark waters. Just as she would break the surface, another wave would crash down upon her, each stronger than the last.

Duskpaw's jaws parted, as if to hiss, to speak, even to yowl- just to do _anything-_ but she couldn't.

She couldn't kill her. She couldn't escape. She couldn't stay in BirchClan.

She couldn't.

She couldn't.

The shards of ice twisted sickeningly.

 _StarClan help me, I can't._

Duskpaw woke with a jolt, icy-blue eyes wide. Her entire body was tensed and covered in cold sweat. Her nest had been destroyed through her thrashing and her neck felt wet where she had accidentally reopened the wound slightly. Her claws had been sunk so deep into the ground that they left pockets in the earth where she pulled them up.

The dark she-cat stood, shaking herself lightly. She stretched her long limbs that were cramped from being tensed and bunched so tightly through the night. Duskpaw let out a light sigh as her sharp eyes scanned the den. She shifted a few mouse-lengths over before collaping with a heavy thump into her littermate's nest.

Riverpaw, too was tensed against her nest in an odd way, her face scrunched up in her sleep. Her striped spine was arched and her whiskers were pinned back against her face. She whipped suddenly to the side, claws unsheathed, teeth bared, and tail twitching uneasily. Though she still slept, she was crouched in her next, an audible hiss escaping her mouth.

Duskpaw pressed her long face to Riverpaw's muzzle. The other she-cat cracked open her eyes before sighing in relief, curling into the touch and relaxing her arched spine, allowing herself to fall into the nest and her paws to splay out beside her.

Duskpaw twiched her whiskers inward, flicking her eyes to the side lightly before resting her head on her black paws. Understanding the body language instantly, Riverpaw curled tighter next to her.

Duskpaw laid her tail over Riverpaw's, and they fell once again into a fitful rest.

* * *

"Would you mind passing me a minnow?"

"No, my dear friend, I will not pass you a minnow. I refuse to even think of passing the minnow. I will have nothing of your passage of prey. Minnow-passing, in fact, is for rouges and loners! It is vile, an action done only by Dark Forest cats, and I will have none of it! Passing minnows is horrific. Therefore, I suggest we all begin a protest against the existence of minnows altogether. So declares the Awesome and Powerful and Charming and Gorgeous and Completely Wonderful Coal-

"Here's a minnow, Pigeonpaw."

* * *

About one half-moon had passed. Smokepaw had visited the Moonstone- and replied to Featherpaw's demands of knowing what had happened to his littermates, as the two had not been appearing with Blueflame- and nearly all of the wounded cats had moved from the den. Duskpaw, Riverpaw, and Pigeonpaw were still in the den and Smokepaw welcomed the company.

Smokepaw had observed the medicine cats of the other clans and wished nothing more than to feed them- thier cheekbones jutting sharply out, ears drooping, eyes sunken. He recalled being able to count every rib on thier chests and each bump along the ridge of their backs. Thier pelts hung loosely from thier frames as if they were too hungry for thier own fur.

Currently, three of the four StarCatchers, along with Coalpaw, Pigeonpaw, Swiftpaw, and Emberpaw were staring at the sky as snow fell slowly.

Emberpaw let out a quiet mewl before leaping up, batting her small paws at the flakes. "The last time it snowed, I hadn't even left the nursery. Swiftpaw and I were only two moons old. This is really the first time I've seen it, but Swiftpaw here snuck into the clearing and started playing with it." Smokepaw reflected, playfully flicking his littermate with his fluffy tail.

Smokepaw's round green eyes widened as he realised that the snow was clumping together on the ground. He prodded it with a paw. "Why's it coming together?" He asked.

Duskpaw and Riverpaw, the oldest of the group, despite the fact that Smokepaw was easily the largest, and the only ones having encountered large amounts of snow before, chuckled, not answering.

They never looked Swiftpaw in the eyes.

* * *

Coalpaw was visiting, having brought some carp and minnows. Duskpaw and Riverpaw were padding around, careful not to re-open thier wounds. "Let all catch old enough to swim the fern river gather beneath the Fallenstone for a clan meeting!" The booming yowl echoed through the camp. The few in the medicine den scampered out into the clearing, the two she-cats taking more tentative steps.

The clan formed a ring around the stones as Shellstar leapt down gracefully, landing lighty on blue-and-cream paws. "Swiftpaw! Come forward!"

Smokepaw gasped as his face split into a grin. The white she-cat stepped out into the center of the circle.

"I, Shellstar, leader of StreamClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Swiftpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." The statement was firm but proud, and Smokepaw wondered how the tiny she-kit that helped him flee the camp at five moons old had become this strong-willed and gentle she-cat.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Swiftpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Swiftpetal. StarClan honors your innovation and courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of StreamClan." The clan began to cheer her name as he rested his muzzle on her head, but he silenced them with a flick of his tail.

"Three more warriors will be made this day. Pigeonpaw, come forward!"

The young tom seemed to glow as he stepped up, still favoring his leg.

"I, Shellstar, leader of StreamClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Pigeonpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." Pigeonpaw beamed.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Pigeonpaw, from this moment you will be known as Pigeondash. StarClan honors your wit and cunning, and we welcome you as a full warrior of StreamClan."

Pigeondash licked the tom's shoulder and dissapeared into the crowd. "Riverpaw?" Called Shellstar as she padded up.

"I, Shellstar, leader of StreamClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Riverpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." Riverpaw was beaming, seeming to be ready to jump with pride and excitement.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Riverpaw, from this moment you will be known as Rivereye. StarClan honors your intelligence and cunning and and we welcome you as a full warrior of StreamClan."

Rivereye beamed.

"And finally, Duskpaw."

Duskpaw padded forward, a confident expression etched onto her graceful features.

"I, Shellstar, leader of StreamClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Duskpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." Her voice rang out firmly and clearly.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Duskpaw, from this moment you will be known as Duskflight. StarClan honors your wisdom and leadership, and we welcome you as a full warrior of StreamClan."

Duskflight smiled, stepping back.

"Swiftpetal! Pigeondash! Duskflight! Rivereye! Swiftpetal! Pigeondash! Duskflight! Rivereye!"

"Good luck on vigil." Smokepaw purred to his friends as the sun slowly set. They nodded, still beaming with pride.

And so Smokepaw watched as Swiftpetal, Pigeondash, Duskflight, and Rivereye padded away.

 **Me: The last chapters were a bit dark, i'll write something happy for this one!**

 **Also me: ;)))))**


	42. Chapter 42

Smokepaw was waiting for his friends when they finished thier vigil.

He had laid out a carp, Duskflight and Rivereye's favorite, and some minnows, his, Pigeondash's, and Swiftpetal's favorite.

Coalpaw sat next to him, excited to greet his friends by thier warrior names. The four bounded over, still beaming dispite the shadows under thier half-lidded eyes and lightly dropped ears. "My paws are made of boulders and I want to sleep for seven moons, but let's eat anyway." Swiftpetal purred.

"Let's see... Duskflight, Rivereye, you two are still in the medicine den for another half-moon until your wounds fully close. Pigeondash, you're free for border patrols, but keep off of your leg and no hunting. Swiftpetal, I'll need to check on that slice on your muzzle at the end of the day. Pigeondash, you'll have to come too." Smokepaw instructed, counting off thier names using his claws.

Duskflight and Rivereye shared a glance, snickering quietly. "What?" Asked Smokepaw. "Nothing." Rivereye said, still fighting a smile.

"You just sound so... medicine-cat-like, it's a bit funny to hear you like that." Duskflight added.

Smokepaw grinned, shoving Duskflight gently in the shoulder. She broke into quiet laughter. Coalpaw smirked slightly.

Swiftpetal headed to the warrior's den, took a spare nest, and collapsed. Pigeondash followed suit as Coalpaw headed off to training. Duskflight and Rivereye followed Smokepaw into the medicine den.

Smokepaw began sorting through some herbs. Tangleflower dropped a bundle at his paws. "Bring these to the elders." She told him, a light tone to her voice as she smiled at Duskflight and Rivereye, the soft sound of her offering her congratulations echoing in his ears as he left the den.

Smokepaw nodded and limped off, carrying the bundle in his jaws as he padded to the elders. He left the bundle there after prodding Lilysong awake and telling her that he didn't want to wake the others and that she could tell them to eat when they woke up.

He made his way back into his own den. "I'm bringing some borage to the queens. Anyone coming?"

Duskflight and Rivereye rose. "I'd like to see the kits." Duskflight announced.

They made their way to the nursery, and as they stepped in they were immidiately blasted with the loud kits as they ran about. The three-and-one-half-moon old kittens instantly tackled the cats who were padding in.

* * *

Swiftpetal, Finchtail, Lizardstrike, and Coalpaw were out hunting. "I'll be back in a second." Swiftpetal said, yanking Coalpaw aside.

They were cramped into a small bush. "What's up?" She demanded.

"I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about." Coalpaw replied, looking genuinely confused.

"You haven't flirted with anyone for the past half-moon. This is very strange, given that you would flirt with a blade of grass if it twitched while you were hunting."

"And what makes you so sure I haven't just matured? I'm ten moons old!" He protested.

"Coalpaw, you-" She broke off, looking away as an idea blossomed in her mind. Her eyes widened.

Suddenly her eyes lit up, her face almost glowing as a grin split across it. " _Oh. My. StarClan."_

Coalpaw paled behind his dark pelt as she nearly shrieked, " _YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON SOMEONE!"_

His tail flew to her muzzle, effectively silencing her. She was clapping her paws together and grinning.

She let out a short squeak before battering him with her paws and beginning to chant, forgetting that warriors were supposed to be mature instantly. "Who is it? Who is it? Who is it?!"

Coalpaw smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know." He turned tail and left the bush, still wearing the sly grin.

Swiftpetal gasped in offense that was half-mock and half-genuine, following him out of the bush.


	43. Chapter 43

**There's a song used breifly at the end of the chapter! Its You Are My Sunshine by Johnny Cash and it does not belong to me!**

 **!CHAPTER WARNING: VOMIT!**

 **Nightpool: 😊 thanks :) while you're telling me to keep it up, I'm going to guess you don't mean like how i 'kept it up' this chapter :))))**

Smokepaw smiled, chuckling lightly as Duskflight and Rivereye told him the wonderful story of 'Coalpaw's Face When His Mentor Yelled At Him For Mocking Shellstar With Exaggerated Limb Movements'.

"It was like he had accidentally taught a kit to swear, and the queen just found out." Rivereye declared.

and "No, no, no," Duskflight grinned. "It looked more like he had just stepped into crowfood in front of an enemy clan."

Smokepaw was roaring with laughter.

Oaktail had wandered in after a few minutes, limping because of the thorn in his pad. He began a long story about how it came to be there, when he suddenly noticed Duskflight and Rivereye making exaggerated falling-asleep movements. He snarled at them.

The two looked up at him. "Oh, I'm sorry, Oaktail. We simply can't help it. Your voice is simply so-"

"Boring? Obnoxious? Monotonous? Sleep-inducing? Grating? Painful? Stupid-" Smokepaw supplied, still unforgiving of the tom after the incedent at the temporary camp.

" _Thank you for that, Smokepaw."_ Oaktail hissed through tightly clenched teeth.

* * *

Smokepaw was out herb-gathering for any remaining plants. With him was Rivereye, Duskflight, and Lizardstrike. They had just reached the BirchClan border, and were searching for chickweed.

"Lizardstrike!" Smokepaw called. The she-cat looked up from where she had been sniffing at the ground. "I think I scented some behind that bush, but I remember there being a patch over here, and I'd like to check it out first. Would you mind looking?" He asked, motioning with his long tail to a cluster of bushes.

Lizardstrike nodded and padded over, sticking her head into the first bush as Smokepaw pushed into his own.

Then, a scream rang out.

Smokepaw yanked his head out of the bush, torn ears sliding past bare branches, and limped over to Lizardstrike as quickly as he could. Rivereye and Duskflight did the same.

Lizardstrike had pulled her head out. Her eyes were wide and ears flattened, her tail arched down and spine curled.

"What's wrong?" Duskflight tried. Lizardstrike let out a broken half-shriek, eyes darting back to the bush.

Eyes narrowed, Smokepaw ignored Lizardstike's horrifed whimpers and poked his head in, only to rip it out with a screech seconds later.

Bile rose in the back of his throat, and he darted away as far as his mangled leg, newly stiffened by the leaf-bare air, would carry him.

With a clench of his gut and a gag, he pitched forward into a clump of tall grass and vomited, the thin vole he'd eaten for morning meal coming back up to greet him.

"Smokepaw!" Duskflight cried.

There was another gagging sound he was sure came from him, rocking forward on his three paws. He gasped, sucking in a breath before even more came, passing through his open jaws and falling onto the ground.

It took a few moments after to make himself stable, for he had seen something that would change his mindset forever.

He'd seen and felt his own leg being ripped through. He'd tried his best to seal jagged wounds. He'd tried his best to seal _infected_ jagged wounds. He'd seen his camp, his home, with its walls and floors spattered crimson. He'd seen his own clanmate, someone he'd seen around camp since kithood, dead in the center of the clearing.

But at least that cold body had been an adult cat's.

The ones he had just seen were not.

Two _kittens._

Two innocent kits with their whole lives ahead of them, their throats slit and still trickling blood.

One looked just like Tigermask, the other russet with darker colorpoints.

Duskkit and Riverkit, kittens of Redfeather and Tigermask, were dead.

The even worse part was, Smokepaw knew exactly why. They carried Rivereye and Duskflight's names. And he was certain of who had ordered them attacked and left for dead.

And yet the worst had yet to come.

He made his way over as Duskflight and Rivereye let out twin screams, obviously having just seen what he had. Rivereye buried her head in Duskflight's chest fur.

Smokepaw, swallowing another wave of nausea, reached in and dragged out another limp body.

This one still had a pulse.

"Smokekit." Smokepaw got out. The little kitten was bleeding from a chest wound, a throat-slit that had missed its mark on the tiny body.

The kit looked up, his eyes slightly glazed over. He looked around at the broken-looking cats. "It hurts." He croaked out.

"Why does it hurt?" The kitten whimpered.

"He's speaking. Lizardstrike, run as fast as you can and get Tangleflower."

"But-"

" _Fetch her, or his blood is on your paws!"_

Lizardstrike darted away, quick as lightning.

Smokepaw had begun to yank cobwebs, however thin, from the dead bushes. He now clumped them desperately across the kit's chest.

"Hold still, little blaze." Duskflight said, cradling the kitten's head with her paw. The old nickname for the kit only strengthened Smokepaw's resolve.

"Why are Duskkit and Riverkit sleeping? Why did that big tom make them go to sleep?" Smokekit whispered.

"Shhh..." Rivereye replied quietly.

"I tried to stay awake, 'cuz I knew that someone would find me soon. I'm tired," He continued.

"I know- please stay awake." Duskflight said.

Tangleflower and Lizardstrike burst through the bushes.

Her eyes widened, and grew hard with determination. She gently moved Smokepaw away from the kit and set to work.

"It happened- that tom came over when we were tryin' to catch butterflies. You taught me how to catch butterflies, Duskpaw." The kit didn't know Duskflight was a warrior. "Did they make Duskkit and Riverkit go to sleep because I was catching them wrong? I'm sorry for forgetting."

Lizardstrike let out a sob.

"No, no, you did everything just right." Rivereye assured him.

"He's almost stabalized. A warning- when he's safe, he'll faint for exhaustion, but that only means he's safe. Keep him entertained," Tangleflower ordered.

"I want to hear that song mama used to sing," Smokekit said. "The sunshine one."

Duskflight, still cradling the kit's head, lowered her chin and began to sing.

" _You are my sunshine, my only sunshine."_

Rivereye let out a small, strained purr. Tangleflower's determination was evident.

 _"You make me happy, when skies are gray."_

A few cats held their breaths.

 _"You'll never know dear, how much I love you."_

Lizardstrike let out another sob. Smokepaw shut his jaw tightly and pretended he wasn't doing it too.

 _"Please don't take my sunshine away."_

Duskflight's voice broke on the last word, and she and Rivereye curled into each other.

Smokekit sucked in a breath and fainted.


	44. Update

**Hello, dears!**

 **It's been quite a while.**

 **The updates on this story have slowed down immensely, and for that I sincerely apologise. My motivation is not the same as it was when I first started it nearly two years ago. I should say now that I am not quitting this story. I love these characters, both the ones that I've created and the ones that you have allowed me to use.**

 **I AM NOT ABANDONING THIS STORY.**

 **As I mentioned previously, it has been very close to two years since I have begun this story. I like to believe my writing has improved since then. I hope it has, at the very least. This is why I set aside this note to make a descision I've been considering for a while:**

 **I will continue to update this story as best as I can, but as I write for this, I will also begin a rewrite of it. The rewrite will be in a seperate story from this one, because the changes I have made in it will be signifigant ones that would effect this version's plot heavily.**

 **When I began this story, I had no idea where it was going aside from a few names. The closet thing I had to a plot was the fact that there was a medicine cat main character. I made mistakes that affected the rest of the writing and I was forced to go along with them as the story progressed and I understood what I wanted the story to be.**

 **I was overly sensitive to criticism. I portrayed certain plotlines as extremely important to the story but then finished them lazily, on the chance that I completed them at all. I was unclear not only on the motivations of the antagonist, but also on what even made her the antagonist.**

 **I am proud of what this story is now, but I'm sure that it has been made obvious that the motivation has become an issue. I'm trying to hold up my writing now using my writing then and it's just not working.**

 **I have... a lot of problems with this whole 'cat is different from others in the clan, shove them in the medicine den and hope they shut up' thing that this story is victim to. Looking back on it now, I realize that it's a kind of messed up story arc to give a character.**

 **I AM NOT ABANDONING THIS STORY AS I DO THE REWRITE. I will continue to update this version as best as I can alongside creating this new version.**

 **Some of you may not like the changes in the new story. They are definitely big changes. I hope that you will at least give it a chance, however. Ask any questions you want about the rewrite or the changes. I'll be happy to answer.**

 **Thank you all so much for staying by this story for so long. You have no idea how much it means to me. It has set me forward so much. Every single follow, favorite, review, read... they've all stayed with me. You are all the reason this story has survived so long and will continue to survive, both here and in the rewrite.**

 **You've stuck by this story even though it sometimes didn't deserve it.**

 **You've stuck by this story when I haven't.**

 **Thank you all so much. I don't know how I can ever even come close to repaying you.**

 **I hope you will stay with me and this story as it begins its (literal and metaphorical) next chapters.**

 **It's a wild ride ahead, my dears.**

 **Next chapter. Here we go.**

 **❤️❤️❤️❤️ - _Silver_**


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